Barnsdall Mayor, Highway Patrol Address Tornado Recovery

The town of Barnsdall was hit hard by an EF4 tornado overnight with at least one confirmed fatality.

It was announced after the press conference that Governor Kevin Stitt will survey storm damage in Barnsdall around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Mayor Johnny Kelley and a representative from Oklahoma Highway Patrol spoke today about the impact of the storm and the recovery effort.

Kelley began by stating that as soon as the town was struck by a tornado the resources and aid from neighboring cities immediately started to arrive. Kelley said that the town had taken significant damage and he confirmed that one person had died during the storm.

Kelley said that about 25 people have been rescued from destroyed homes but that two other people are unaccounted for. Crews are continuing to search for the missing people. Once the search is complete, the clean-up process can begin.

As of Tuesday morning, the town is encouraging people to shelter in place because of the dangerous conditions, like downed electric lines and some gas leaks.

Kelley said that this had been a difficult day and that he knew the person who died.

"We're worried about our neighbors and our friends that have lost loved ones," said Kelley.

Oklahoma Highway Patrol is working to create a unified command system that will allow them to conduct searches and recovery efforts. The town is effectively on lockdown for now as law enforcement hopes to decrease the number of people wandering around.