Emergency officials were preparing to survey tornado damage Saturday morning following the second major fatal storm to strike the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in several days. The storm toppled cars and left commuters trapped on an interstate highway as it bore down during Friday's evening rush. Law enforcement officers and Red Cross damage assessment workers planned to head after dawn to areas in the city and its suburbs hit by what the National Weather Service reported were “several" tornadoes that rolled in from the prairie. Five people were reported killed, including a mother and baby found in a vehicle. Amy Elliott, a spokeswoman for the state medical examiner, said early Saturday that she had no immediate word of additional fatalities. About 50 people were hurt, five critically, hospital officials said. Violent weather also moved through the St. Louis area, ripping part of the roof off a suburban casino. Meteorologists had warned about particularly nasty weather Friday but said the storm's fury didn't match that of a top-of-the-scale EF5 tornado that struck suburban Moore, where a tornado killed 24 on May 20. “Some tornadoes are wrapped in rain, so it's basically impossible to see, which is extremely dangerous," Thoren said. “Somebody driving along really not familiar with what's going on can basically drive into it."
