BLANCO, Okla. — Blanco has put itself on the map this week for a suspected tornado almost blowing it off the map and sending one to the hospital.
Pittsburg County commissioners met on May 20 to declare a state of emergency. 2 News was taken inside the town by emergency officials to tour damage while the community is blocked off to the general public.
"It started in Pittsburg and went all the way through to the county line," county emergency management spokesman Adrian O'Hanlon said. "(The tornado) also hit Hartshorne on the way out of the county and into Latimer County, so it's it's gonna be quite a stretch. As far as in Pittsburg County, we can say at least ten homes have received major damage."
Darline Williams told 2 News she barely made it inside a storm cellar with her daughter's family when the twister struck.
"I can see it coming in, the dust blowing up. And the winds were blowing hard," Williams said. "But the thing, is none of my family was injured and none of my friends over there were injured severely."
WATCH: Grandmother, rancher describe suspected tornado in Blanco
One of the hardest hit properties in town was a ranch owned by former county commissioner Kevin Smith, whose vehicles and livestock trailers were just about all flipped over or upside down.
"We've been through some storms here, but nothing like this," Smith said. "I was kind of shocked when we got brought back here to the house to see how bad it was. And I guess in a whole lot of places it's just as bad or worse than we were."
O'Hanlon said the top priority until further notice in the town is clearing debris, safely restoring electricity, and getting shelter for those whose homes are uninhabitable.
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative reports only 833 customers remain without power in the county as of late May 20, although that includes almost all of Blanco.
"It feels surreal. But I mean, I feel really blessed because we all got in the cellar," Williams said.
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