[August 12, 2011] Eufaula shaken by storm Tweet Aug 11, 2011 (Muskogee Phoenix - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Overnight storms caused an uproar in Eufaula, uprooting trees, taking out the electricity and damaging city trucks and barns. The winds were so strong, one city truck ended up with two-by-four pieces of lumber embedded in its hood and at least one business downtown lost a large portion of its roof. The storm brought estimated 60 to 70 mph winds, according to the National Weather Service. Hail was reported north of Eufaula and the area received one-half to three-quarter inches of rain. The city was without electricity from about midnight until 11 a.m., said Mayor Selina Jayne-Dornan. "We had some straight winds come through and it knocked down trees and a couple of electric poles," Jayne-Dornan said. "We had one business the plate glass window just exploded and broke the window pane." To add to the city's misery, a water line burst about 3:45 a.m., Jayne-Dornan said. The city was without water until about 10 a.m. and the first day of classes at Eufaula Public Schools had to be canceled, she said. The Red Cross went to Eufaula early Thursday to offer assistance and the city's community center was opened. A few people did use the shelter while the electricity and water were out of service, the mayor said. "We were fortunate the generator was already set up," Jayne-Dornan said. "We were without power on Tuesday as well after storms for quite a while and we had set it up at the community center so people could stay cool." The city spend the better part of Thursday cleaning up downed trees, limbs and debris and OG&E worked through the night and morning to restore electricity. A lot of damage was to city property. "The whole roof just came off one of our city barns and fell on top of some of our work trucks," Jayne-Dornan said. "And we have one business downtown cordoned off because the roof is falling down." The National Weather Service is forecasting a 20 to 40 percent chance of more thunderstorms for Eufaula over the next three days. Reach Wendy Burton at (918) 684-2926 or [email protected]. To see more of the Muskogee Phoenix or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://muskogeephoenix.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Muskogee Phoenix, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]