5 Historic Natural Disasters To Hit Oklahoma City

Oklahoma City, situated in the “tornado alley,” has earned its reputation as one of the most severely affected cities by tornadoes and hurricanes. Tornadoes such as F5 and EF5 are most likely to hit Oklahoma City than any other region of Oklahoma. There have been several natural disasters that have left the city devastated.

Here’s a list of some deadliest natural disasters in Oklahoma City.

1. The F5 tornado 1999

This was one of the most destructive tornadoes to ever hit Oklahoma City. This F5 tornado struck the Oklahoma City metro area on May 3 1999, causing 36 deaths. The total cost of damage was $1 billion.

2. The EF5 tornado 2013

The EF5 tornado hit the metro area of Oklahoma City on May 20th, 2013. This was the costliest natural disaster and amounted to 2 billion dollars worth of damage. It claimed 24 lives being the fourth deadliest disaster and was the first EF5 tornado recorded in Oklahoma City.

3. The 1942 tornado

The tornado hit Oklahoma City on June 12th, 1948, and was the second deadliest tornado claiming 35 lives.

4. The 1948 tornado

This was the third costliest tornado in Oklahoma City that occurred on March 20th, 1948. The damage summed up to 10 million dollars. Most damages were caused to the aircraft at Tinker Air Force Base. To put the damage cost into perspective, even after adjusting for inflation, the May 2013 tornado and the May 1999 tornado were 200 times and 100 times more costly, respectively.

5. The 2015 Flooding  

In May 2015, Oklahoma City suffered the worst flooding ever recorded. The official recorded rain was 19.48 inches. Several drownings and other deaths were reported leaving irreparable damage behind.

Oklahoma City has been recorded to have 5 tornadoes in one day in 1974, 2013 and 2018. The state’s capital is known to have been hit 30 times by two or more tornadoes in one day.

Living in Oklahoma City can be challenging and needs precautionary arrangements. Installing storm shelters is the safest way to protect yourself and your family from these deadly natural disasters. At Oklahoma Shelters, we build custom-made concrete storm shelters, underground bunkers, garage shelters and safe rooms according to your family’s requirements.

Get in touch with us if you’re looking for a reliable company with FEMA-approved products to install a storm shelter in Oklahoma.