Tuesday, August 9th 2011, 1:43 pm
LaShauna Sewell, News9.com
PIEDMONT, Oklahoma -- Residents in Piedmont are surveying the damage from Monday night's storm and wondering if they were hit by a tornado for the second time in four months.
The storm blew through around 7 p.m., and ripped roofs off homes, tore off metal siding, toppled power lines, and shattered car windshields. A News 9 viewer sent pictures showing what appeared to be a tornado roaring through Piedmont.
Although the image appears to be a tornado, News 9 Meteorologist Nick Bender says it's not. What people saw was actually a microburst, which consists of intense wind and rain rushing to the ground. The microburst caused a lot of damage, but there was no tornado.
Bonnie Steward says her roof received a lot of damage when the high winds hit. She was home alone when she looked out the window and saw debris blowing around. She then took cover.
"I was under the stairs. The whole house was shaking. And I could hear it. And probably after a minute, it was gone," Steward said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, about 1,000 OG&E customers were still without power. Crews are out in full force, trying to restore electricity to all customers by the end of the day.
Check the OG&E website for power outages
The Piedmont police chief tells News 9 he is concerned about residents who are homebound with no power. He says people should check on their neighbors to make sure they're all right.
6/24/11 Related Story: Piedmont Residents Recovering After Last Month's Tornado
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