Some of the worst damage in the aftermath of Wednesday's deadly weather system was recorded in and around Oklahoma City, where a twister tore through a mobile home park, injuring at least a dozen people.
Ray Doonkeen, the owner of Roadrunner RV Park, which holds 65 RVs and about 130 people, said Wednesday night was the first time the park ever got hit by a tornado.
Doonkeen wasn’t at the scene as the twister passed through, but his nephew was.
“My nephew was here ... he said he was scared,“ Doonkeen told NBC News. “He said their ears were popping, you know, the pressure.
“He’s 42 years old and he said it was pretty frightening.”
Doonkeen said the mobile home park has a storm shelter, and residents — a mix of long-term and transient guests — are all made aware of it when they check in.
People who decided to ride out the storm in their RVs ended up in the hospital, he said.
“We just want to praise our fire fighters, our police force" for their fast response, Doonkeen added.
Prior to the tornado hitting the area, Vickie Wilkerson, who works for Doonkeen, and her husband drove around the park honking their horn and knocking on doors, warning people to get out of their trailers and go down into the shelter.
“A few people called him a hero,” the woman said of her husband, who was able to get about 30 people into the shelter.
The group stayed under ground for about 45 minutes, listening to the radio for updates, talking and praying, the couple said.
“It was scary down there, very scary, pretty frightening,” Rick Wilkerson said. "Hope we never go through it again."
Once the storm passed and the group climbed out, the couple said they saw an elderly woman lying on the ground. The twister had tossed her out of her trailer. They got her in the laundry room until rescuers arrived minutes later to take her to the hospital.
