Texas / South Central News

Oklahoma GOP Lawmakers Revisit Severe Weather Liability Policy

Oklahoma House Republicans are developing a comprehensive liability protection policy for Oklahomans who offer shelter to others during severe weather. House Bill 2296, which would offer liability protection to mobile home park owners who allow residents to seek shelter in …

Drought Brings Outbreak of Horse Disease in Louisiana, Arkansas

Agriculture officials in Arkansas and Louisiana have warned veterinarians to watch for signs of a potentially fatal horse disease if there’s another drought this year. The disease is often called pigeon fever because basketball-sized abscesses in the chest and abdomen …

Deadly Oklahoma Tornado Traveled about 31 Miles

A tornado that killed six people in northwestern Oklahoma traveled about 31 miles and had winds of 136 to 165 mph at its peak. The National Weather Service on April 16 assigned a preliminary EF-3 Enhanced Fujita scale rating to …

Forecasters Assign EF-1 Rating to Arkansas Tornado

The National Weather Service in Little Rock has given a tornado that caused damage in central Arkansas a preliminary rating of EF-1. Meteorologists surveyed an area of Van Buren County on April 16 and found a 2.3-mile long, 300-yard wide …

Alligator Visits Louisiana Motel, Bites Guest

Authorities in Louisiana say a 6-foot alligator showed up at the front door of a Super 8 Motel outside Baton Rouge and bit a guest. West Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff Mike Cazes tells The Advocate his office got the call …

Oklahoma Gov. Vetoes Mobile Home Park Liability Bill; Lawmakers Critical

Two Tulsa, Okla., lawmakers said they were disappointed by Gov. Mary Fallin’s veto of a bill that would have given civil liability protection to mobile home park operators who allowed residents to take shelter in their office during severe weather. …

6th Death Due to Oklahoma Tornado Is Confirmed

Woodward County (Oklahoma) Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer says a sixth person has died as a result of injuries suffered in a deadly tornado. Lehenbauer say the man died on the night of April 15 in an Amarillo, Texas, hospital …

Oklahoma Governor Declares State of Emergency in 12 Counties

Governor Mary Fallin has declared a State of Emergency for 12 Oklahoma counties due to tornadoes, severe storms, straight line winds and flooding that began on April 13. The counties included in the declaration are: Alfalfa, Caddo, Canadian, Cleveland, Ellis, …

Oklahoma Governor Nominates 4 for Workers’ Compensation Court

Governor Mary Fallin has submitted four nominees for the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Court: Margaret Bomhoff, Michael McGivern, Brad Taylor, and Carla Snipes. These are the first nominees submitted by Fallin for the Workers’ Compensation Court. Fallin said the nominees collectively …

Tornado Outbreak: Authorities Say 5 Dead in Oklahoma, 29 Injuries

Tornadoes raking communities across the Midwest and Plains left five people dead and at least 29 injured in Oklahoma, damaging a hospital, homes and other buildings as a vast severe weather front plunged eastward on April 15 across the nation’s …

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