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OWASSO, Oklahoma (KJRH) -- Owasso city councilors unanimously declared a state of emergency following an EF-1 tornado hitting the city on April 2nd.
The city attorney explained that a declaration allows them to help citizens however they can in the coming weeks, with things like suspending permitting fees for rebuilding or securing outside funding.
Among the four voting councilors, Mayor Alvin Fruga, “Our community is this way. When we see people in need, we’re gonna do the best that we can to help.”
His home in the Bailey Ranch neighborhood was untouched, but Fruga knows and saw many of his neighbors impacted.
Driving around his neighborhood, Fruga described the wreckage as surreal, “You see those things on tv, and there aren’t any homes here that are totally devastated, but the damage sort of reminded me of that.”
Amid all the devastation, the mayor noticed something else, too.
"You could hardly get through the street, because of all of the vehicles and support help and trucks and already beginning to remove debris and people on roofs," said Fruga. “It’s just sort of a swell of support from everyone to sort of help those who are in need.”
Another resident in that neighborhood, Chris Barnes, also recognized the unshakable strength and resilience of Oklahomans.
“It’s been a great show of force, but a great show of compassion by our neighbors," said Barnes. “I love how people, especially neighbors, dropped everything to come help. There was 5 guys with chainsaws here first thing in the morning. Met a million roofers, met a million fence guys, really people just jumped in to try to help.”
Once he got the warning, Barnes and his wife rushed into the bathroom to seek shelter. He said the tornado was on top of them 5 to 10 seconds later.
Barnes counts himself lucky that his family home has only a mangled fence, a partially caved-in roof, and an unsteady treehouse as real evidence of destruction.
"Ultimately I think there’s like a strange pride in Oklahoma where we’re like 'yeah this is where the tornadoes come,'" he said. "But when they do come, the good people do come out and really do like to help.”
The council did not put an end date on their SOE, stating it is too early to say how long they will need extra resources. They plan to reevaluate in the weeks ahead.
