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CNN’s Ed Lavandera, on the ground in Oklahoma, shares this photo showing members of the Oklahoma City Swift Water rescue team taking a quick break after rescuing 10 people from floodwaters in El Reno, Oklahoma.
First responders near Edmond, Oklahoma, just rescued a woman who was precariously clinging to a tree in rushing waters.
One rescuer waded out with a rope and attached it to the woman, while two others pulled her out of the water and helped her into a truck.
She appears to be safe now.
See photos of the dramatic rescue:
Aerial video from CNN affiliate KOCO is showing swift water rescue teams out and about in El Reno, Oklahoma.
Flooding is closing streets across Tulsa as the city is inundated with rainwater. To make sure that drivers don’t try and risk it, officials have barricaded the roadways.
El Reno, Oklahoma, is dealing with major flooding, according to Andrew Skidmore, the emergency management director of Canadian County.
El Reno is located 28 miles west of Oklahoma City.
Skidmore told CNN that people have evacuated from their homes, and a shelter has been se up. Flooding is widespread across country roads and major highways, and interstate I-40 is flooded throughout Canadian County, according to Skidmore.
Severe thunderstorms will drench and flood parts of Oklahoma Tuesday, following on the heels of a series of tornadoes that touched down in that state and others.
At least 19 tornadoes swept through central Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas Monday, carrying warnings of “considerable” damage to homes, businesses and vehicles with the possibility of “complete destruction.”
Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas were still under a tornado watch early Tuesday, with the National Weather Service warning of “flying debris” which could be dangerous to those caught without shelter.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management issued a weather update Monday at 7:30 p.m. Central Time with the following highlights:
Tornado warnings carrying urgent instructions are in effect in the following parts of Texas:
From the National Weather Service:
Andrew Ormand filmed this video of a funnel developing on the horizon before making his way to a shelter.
The National Weather Service confirmed tornadoes in the following places in Oklahoma:
4 miles north of Granite moving northeast at 35 mph.
A “large and extremely dangerous tornado” near Mangum moving northeast at 35 mph.
And in Texas:
11 miles southeast of Odessa moving east at 20 mph.
5 miles west of Spur moving northeast at 35 mph.
A possible tornado forms Monday afternoon in Paducah, Texas.
A confirmed tornado was spotted near Pittsburg, Missouri, moving northeast at 45 mph, according to the National Weather Service in Springfield, Missouri.
A tornado watch is in effect for parts of Kansas and Missouri.
Hail pounded on the windows and strong winds whipped past a parking lot in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, on Monday around 1 p.m. local time.
Jessica Leigh Rice caught the moment on video.
“The [wind] was so strong that the water actually got in the first set of doors. It was crazy strong wind and hail and fast moving!” she wrote on Facebook.
Watch more:
Contrary to popular belief, overpasses are not safe places to seek shelter during tornadoes.
Overpasses do not offer any real protection from flying debris, and vehicles under them are at risk of having a tornado’s winds carry them off.
Oklahoma Emergency officials warned residents that stopping under an overpass creates an even more dangerous situation:
Oklahoma Emergency Management says when people stop under an overpass, it prevents emergency vehicles from passing and it cuts off potential escape routes.
They encourage people to plan ahead and be somewhere that actually has a safe shelter.
Norman, Oklahoma, schools are closed today as the area prepares for possible severe weather.
“Out of an abundance of caution, schools will be closed Monday, May 20,” the district said in a statement posted to their Facebook page. “Student safety is our top priority and we must make the best possible decision with the information we have available from weather experts to protect our students.”
Tulsa also closed all of the schools in the district:
The city of Oklahoma City does not have public tornado shelters.
The city said one of the reasons for this is concern about traffic getting to public shelters.
Here’s more on Oklahoma City’s website:
