Power Restored To 85% Of Anadarko Following Tornado Touchdown Sunday

Power has been restored to a large part of Anadarko after an estimated EF-0 to EF-1 tornado touched down Sunday night.

The extreme winds knocked out power to 85% of the city. Many trees were knocked down and buildings were damaged.

Terry McDuffy, who lives east of town, climbed his roof Monday morning to find a 50 ft. hole in it. It is all courtesy of mother nature.

“It (the roof) has taken a lot of wind throughout the years but this time it was the right wind and it tore it up,” McDuffy said. “The roof was down there almost to the highway. It was still in one piece.”

While repairs can be made to the McDuffy’s roof, Smith & Son's Building Center in downtown Anadarko may not be so lucky. After being in business since 1979, the building has taken a direct hit.

“When we got here, the whole building was torn down basically this morning, we didn’t know how much damage across our property we had,” Brendon Smith, Manager at Smith & Son's Building Center said. “We found out we had damage across a couple of our other buildings.”

Crews from across the state are in Anadarko helping restore power. Manpower from Purcell, Edmond, Lexington and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Association.

Anadarko city officials said illegal builds onto public right-of-ways are slowing down restoration times.

“As we go out in these storms, we can’t get to our poles to replace them like we should,” Anadarko City Manager Kenneth Corn said. “We have to take down fencing, we have to move stuff out of yards in order to get to the poles that we should be able to naturally drive up to.”

City officials said it’ll be Tuesday before power is completely restored to the city.