MOORE — People had a lot on their minds Friday: It was the 25th anniversary of the deadly tornado that struck caused dozens of deaths and scarred survivors, but also the day of the funeral of beloved and longtime Mayor Glenn Lewis, who guided the community through the 1999 storm and another, even deadlier tornado that struck the suburbs almost 11 years ago.
However, all of this couldn’t stop community organizers from gathering supplies to help some of the remaining Oklahoma storm survivors affected by 27 tornadoes which claimed four lives across the state and severely damaged homes and businesses in the heart of Sulphur.
Volunteers joined Moore’s teachers Bryant Elementary School Friday afternoon to load collected bins and other needed supplies, including bottled water, women’s sanitary products and other toiletries, clothing and various types of additional items for victims who are still cleaning up after the most recent storms in Sulfur.
Sixth-grade social studies teacher Blake Mackey, a student at Moore High School in 1999, who worried about the safety of his mother, sister and father during that deadly storm, remembers its dramatic impact on his community, families and friends.
“It was so hard not to see things you were used to seeing when you drove through town” in the weeks and months after that storm, Mackey recalls.
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“Even though my family and I weren’t directly affected, having to watch everyone go through all of this” has been difficult, he said. “We didn’t know what to expect.”
At the same time, though, he remembers how people across Oklahoma and the country responded after that storm, sending all this stuff and more to his hometown as it began to clean up its debris and to rebuild.
“My big goal was just to take the opportunity to help. Whenever anything was needed here, we didn’t really need to ask for water, supplies or food,” he said. declared.
“I remember the Tide truck coming in to help wash clothes. All these things – no one asked for them, they just started showing up,” said Mackey, who said he graduated from Sulfur High School l ‘Next year.
“I wanted to be a part of helping someone else,” Mackey said.
The 1999 tornado remains one of Oklahoma’s deadliest
According to the National Weather Service, May 3, 1999 is still the date of largest tornado outbreak on record in Oklahoma.
The most infamous tornado in modern memory was the monster EF5 that roared through southwest Oklahoma City and Moore, leaving behind a 37-mile-long trail of destruction that stretched from Amber to Midwest City for the 1 hour 22 minutes he was on the ground. .
The tornado produced recorded wind speeds of 302 mph. It killed 40 people (five in Moore), injured 675 others, destroyed 1,800 homes and damaged 2,500 others. Total damage was estimated at $1.2 billion.
