WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A zoo in Florida has two reasons to celebrate — the first birth of a koala and a newly renovated habitat for the cuddly creatures is opening to the public on Saturday.
“For the zoo and for us here, it’s the very big deal,” said Amarylis Celestina, who oversees carnivores and koalas at the Palm Beach Zoo & Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Florida. "We are trying the best that we can to help with a lot of the genetic diversity within the population that we have here in the United States. So that’s why it’s important that we do have a joey and that we were successful this year.”
The joey, born to Ellin and Sydney last fall, remains in its mother's pouch and has just recently started to become visible to zoo officials.
They continue to monitor Ellin's weight, and are providing extra food as she cares for the baby.
Meanwhile, the koala population is enjoying a renovated habitat, which include more greenery, new perching for exercising, and solar tubes to bring in more natural light. The changes bring a bit of the Australian outback to the zoo for koalas, which are an endangered species. They are able to move between their climate-controlled indoor exhibit and the expanded outdoor area.
“This new habitat is a milestone for our koalas,” Margo McKnight, the zoo's CEO and president said in a news release. “The deliberate design supports the voluntary, cooperative care our zoologists and koalas have developed together.”
Koalas in the U.S. are on loan from the Australian federal government to help with conservation practices.
Koalas are generally peaceful, have a calm nature and enjoy a “slow” lifestyle. They like to climb and hop between the trees in the habitat. The renovations are designed to help koalas express their natural behaviors, zoo officials said.
Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
A koala named Ellin sits inside a habitat at Palm Beach Zoo Conservation Society in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Cody Jackson)
ENID, Okla. (AP) — Communities began cleaning up Friday after a powerful tornado in Oklahoma damaged at least 40 homes, ripping roofs off of some and reducing others to rubble in a rural community as emergency crews rescued trapped residents, authorities said.
The confirmed tornado Thursday moved across parts of Enid, a city of about 50,000 people near the state's northern border in Garfield County, according to the National Weather Service. Video showed a rapidly rotating column of air touching down along with totaled homes.
Commercial buildings just south of the city were turned into a pile of twisted metal, splintered wood and insulation by the powerful twister that pushed the buildings completely off the concrete foundations.
The tornado knocked down utility poles and left power lines wrapped with huge chunks of debris. A nearby home had part of its metal roof torn off and trees were left stripped of bark and limbs.
Neighboring counties also reported some flooded roads and barn damage. Some roads and part of U.S. Interstate 81 were closed, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said.
There were no immediate reports of fatalities and only minor injuries, according to the Garfield County Sheriff's Office.
Local police and fire departments and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol conducted multiple home searches, rescuing some trapped residents, Enid Mayor David Mason said Friday.
Mason said some of the worst damage happened in Gray Ridge, a neighborhood on the south side of the city, where homes were knocked down.
“The support from our community has been remarkable. Local businesses have offered equipment and labor, residents have opened their doors, and supplies have poured in already,” Mason posted online. “This is who Enid is in challenging moments — we continue to show up for one another.”
Amy Kuntz, who was driving home to Enid, was calming her daughter over the phone during the storm.
“She said, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ And then I was like, ‘Get in the bathtub.’ So she got in the bathtub and not even a minute later, she's like, ‘Mom, the roof’s gone,’” Kuntz told KFOR-TV.
Fences and some equipment were knocked down at nearby Vance Air Force Base, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City. The base was closed until further notice “due to ongoing power and water restoration efforts,” it posted online Friday.
Everyone assigned to the base has been accounted for and no injuries were reported, 71st Flying Training Wing Public Affairs Chief Ashley D. Hendricks said in an email Friday.
“Please join me in praying for the Enid community, which has been severely impacted by tonight’s tornado,” Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt posted on social media.
More storms are possible through Friday night across south-central and southeast Oklahoma, the National Weather Service in Norman said. Strong to severe thunderstorms are expected to develop Saturday, including in the Enid area.
It was a stormy night for other states, too. In Kearney, Missouri, north of Kansas City, officials reported downed trees, debris blocking roadways and damage to homes on Thursday night after storms passed through the area. Officials said in a social media post that no injuries had been reported. Crews worked to make roads passable by early Friday and were expected to continue cleanup efforts during the day.
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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire, and Sarah Brumfield in Cockeysville, Maryland, contributed to this report.
A view of a damaged home in Enid, Okla., Friday, April 24, 2026, in the aftermath of a tornado that barreled through Oklahoma Thursday. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
A view of a damaged home in Enid, Okla., Friday, April 24, 2026, in the aftermath of a tornado that barreled through Oklahoma Thursday. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)
A man walks in the rain as a thunderstorm moves through the area Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
People walk in the rain as a thunderstorm moves through the area Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Lightning is reflected in the glass exterior of an apartment building as a thunderstorm moves through the area Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Lightning lights up the sky behind an AT&T building as a thunderstorm moves through the area Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
In this image taken from video from KWTV/KOTV, a tornado crosses a highway in Enid, Okla., Thursday, April 23, 2026. (KWTV/KOTV via AP)
