‘The windows exploded’: Oklahoma tornado survivors recount seconds it took for storms to wreak havoc

04:53

'We hunkered down into the bathroom': Norman, OK resident on tornado

A Norman, Oklahoma resident told FOX Weather multimedia journalist Brandy Campbell that most of his family's house was destroyed by an EF-2 tornado. His family, including the pet dog, survived the twister by taking shelter in a bathroom.

NORMAN, Okla. – People whose lives were upended within seconds by storms that tore through the Oklahoma City area Sunday night are struggling to figure out the road to recovery.

There were at least nine reports of tornadoes in the Great Plains – seven of those came from Oklahoma alone. Officials at the National Weather Service office in Norman, a suburb of Oklahoma City, said they have found damage that indicates that one of the tornadoes was at least an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. That means it had winds of between 111 and 135 mph.

One of the hardest hit places in the Sooner State appears to be a Norman neighborhood, where FOX Weather’s Brandy Campbell shared images and video Monday of roofs missing, flipped cars and streets littered with debris.

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David Stanley, who has lived in the neighborhood for about a year after moving there from California, said this was his first experience with a tornado.

"The windows exploded in the house," Stanley said. "The garage door looks like it wanted to come off. You can see the tree is down. We’ve got holes in the roof. It was scary."

Stanley said the twister came and went in about 15 seconds. He said has seen tornado damage on the news before, but to experience it is entirely different.

"The intensity. The violence of it all, and, like I said, it happened so quickly," Stanley said.

04:19

'The windows exploded': Resident describes taking shelter during tornado in Norman, OK

FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell spoke to a Norman, Oklahoma resident about his experience taking shelter during the tornado Sunday evening. 

Carmen Marco said she was also shocked at how quickly the storm happened.

"It was very sudden," Marco said. "Like, it came out of nowhere. You felt the pressure change. My ears popped and windows went out. We could hear crashing. We could hear banging. It was a lot."

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03:49

'Came out of nowhere': NWS finds damage of at least EF-2 strength in Norman, OK

FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell continues coverage in Norman, Oklahoma speaking to residents and how they stayed safe during the powerful tornado. 

Tim Dorrough said he and some friends hurried to an interior bathroom of his home when they heard the roar of the twister approaching.

"They say online that it sounds like a train coming," Dorrough said. "It really does. It just kept getting louder and louder."

That bathroom appeared to be one of the few parts of his house after the twister, demonstrating the advice of experts to shelter in a small, centrally-located room of a building during a tornado.

Dedrick Hoffstead said the wind was blowing through his home as he and his family scurried to the bathroom for safety. He said that when they emerged from their shelter, several neighbors were standing in their home to check on them.

"I’m kind of at a loss for words," Hoffstead said. "My shed is gone. Everything that we own, everything I feel like we kind of worked for, is just in the wind now."

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03:41

'I'm at a loss for words': Norman, Oklahoma resident trying to salvage home following tornado

FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell is in Norman, Oklahoma where she spoke to a resident who is trying to salvage his home following the tornado that hit the Oklahoma City area on Sunday. 

Insurance claims and damage assessments have already begun, but picking a starting place for cleanup is proving difficult. Both Stanley and Marco said they’ve been busy picking up the shattered glass that is scattered throughout their homes, but Hoffstead said a water leak has complicated the process at his home. 

"I think everyone’s question is, ‘What’s the first step?’" Marco said. "Where do you even begin to clean this up?"

"I don’t know where to start," Stanley said during an interview with Campbell. "Any ideas?"

Dorrough said he's frustrated and on edge knowing that the money he had saved for his wedding in May will now have to be used to find a new home.