Several communities in Oklahoma were hit by severe storms on Saturday night, leaving four people dead and prompting the governor to declare a state of emergency in about a dozen counties.
Daylight revealed the scope of a path of destruction from an EF-3 tornado that tore through Sulphur, a town of about 5,000 people south of Oklahoma City, wreaking havoc in the historic downtown and a nearby neighborhood.
“All kinds of emotions. The place I called home is gone,” said Felicia Jackson, a resident affected by the storm.
Another resident, Derrick Stone, said he and his family took shelter in a storm cellar.
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“We knew it was coming. We knew it was going to be bad. We just didn’t know how bad,” Stone said.
Like several neighbors, Stone heeded emergency warnings and rode out the storm nearby with family members who have a storm cellar. While huddled in the shelter, Stone listened on his firefighter brother’s radio as Sulphur took a direct hit.
“You want to puke. You can’t eat. You can’t drink water, nothing. Taking a drink of water. It’s like your stomach turns. And it’s just the worst feeling ever. The worst. I wouldn’t wish it on anybody, nobody, not even my worst enemy,” he said.
The storm was so powerful that it sucked up the second story of Rick Jones’ home, scattering its contents throughout the neighborhood. Jones was out of town Saturday night, celebrating his 11th wedding anniversary with his wife. Their two children were staying with family.
“Our roof is about a block and a half that way,” said Jones.
“It could’ve been worse. The wife and kids were out of the house. The rest of it is stuff."
Despite the devastation, some residents of Sulphur found blessings amid the rubble. Darla Woods was overjoyed to recover her cat, Leon, who safely rode out the storm in a house that’s now just a shell of the home it was before.
“It’s a miracle, very much a miracle,” said Woods.
“I’m going to need all the help I can get — FEMA, Red Cross — a lot of devastation," Woods added. "We really need help down here."
The damage in downtown Sulphur was so severe that police had to block off streets over the fear of building collapses. The cleanup process has begun, with residents taking one step at a time, salvaging what they can and trusting they can lean on each other when it comes time to rebuild.
“It’s a tight-knit community. We love each other, you know,” said Stone.
