Rare August tornado hospitalizes 30 in Tulsa; no deaths

National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Teague said the tornado was rated an EF2, with wind speeds of 111-135 mph and that two smaller, “probably” EF0 tornadoes with winds of 65-85 mph were seen shortly afterward on radar near Inola and Claremore, about 25 miles east and northeast of Tulsa.

Emergency Medical Services Authority spokeswoman Kelli Bruer said the ambulance company transported a total of 13 people to area hospitals, eight from a TGI Fridays restaurant, which lists its closing time as 1 a.m., four from a 24-hour Whataburger restaurant, and one person who was in the area.

St. Francis Hospital spokeswoman Lauren Landwerlin said about 30 people were treated at the hospital. Meloy said many people were taken to hospitals by private vehicles.

One of the most severely injured was in TGI Fridays and the other was inside the Whataburger, Bruer said.

The timing of the storm was fortunate, according to Meloy, because hundreds, if not thousands of people were in the area only hours earlier.

“It’s a highly commercial area with a lot of people normally in there. There’s a mall, there’s a movie theater,” in addition to the restaurants, Meloy said. The area also includes some industrial sites.

The mall had closed at 9 p.m. Saturday, according to its website. A phone call to the mall was not answered Sunday.

The estimated one-square-mile area remained blocked off Sunday while crews worked to remove the debris, Meloy said.