BRISTOW — Beth Roberts walked around her property northwest of Bristow on Wednesday morning, trying to see what — if anything — she could salvage from wreckage of the home she shared with her husband, Garry, and her 14-year-old daughter.
A few pet carriers, some tagged for the Bristow Animal Shelter, lay seemingly unscathed atop piles of broken glass and lumber. An apparently undamaged blanket with the University of Oklahoma logo hung on a wooden pillar surrounded by pieces of insulation and broken furniture. A nearly new washer and dryer set appeared to have been thrown around the lot, landing next to some siding the couple had chosen for the home remodeling project they had been working on for the past year.
But the worst of the damage from Tuesday evening’s EF1 tornado, which the National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday, was to the now-destroyed back half of the home and the barn where the family ran Bristow Barnyard, a farm animal rescue business.
The Roberts family, who lives just off of Oklahoma 16 at West 201st Street, still doesn’t know how many animals died when the barn collapsed. Beth Roberts, who is part of animal rescue group Bristow’s Furry Friends, took to Facebook overnight to ask the town for help in getting their surviving animals into temporary homes, and she said people have come from all over the state to lend a hand. Only a cow and a handful of goats and ducks remained on the property Wednesday morning.
Beth Roberts had been aware of the approaching storm.
“I had gotten a couple of notifications on my phone app … but I was looking at the sky and it just looked like rain, maybe some hail,” she said. “That’s when I got the actual notification that said ‘Take cover.’
“I wasn’t really scared about it, but I said, ‘Might as well.’ If we hadn’t — my daughter was in the living room … she might not be here right now had we not gotten in the cellar.”
Bristow Fire Department officials said they received reports of significant damage to three homes in the area but expected more to surface. Oklahoma 16 was closed briefly Tuesday evening while Creek County road crews worked to clear debris, including fallen trees.
“Everyone’s reporting a little bit of damage, like to an outbuilding or maybe a little roof damage,” Bristow Fire Capt. John Conkling said. “If I had to guess a number, it would probably be in the 20s, whether it’s a little bit or real significant.”
The National Weather Service said the storm developed over Noble County, then moved southeast in Pawnee and Payne counties before hitting Creek County.
Conkling said the rotation that spawned the tornado appears to have started east of Drumright, which is on the western edge of Creek County.
Beth Roberts was glad she was paying attention.
“Being born in Tulsa, I’ve seen this kind of stuff my whole life, but haven’t been in it to this extent,” she said. “Take it serious. It didn’t look severe, but it became severe very quickly. We could have lost our lives had we not taken it serious.”
Apparent high winds from the storm also caused damage in downtown Sapulpa, about 20 minutes east of Bristow. About one-third of the roof was taken off a building at 124 E. Dewey St. that houses the Little Bit of Country store and the Creek County Shoppers salon. Diane Gloden, who owns the building with her husband, Gary, said the structure has been around since 1910.
The Glodens operate the country store, while their daughter, Teresa Raines, runs the hair salon upstairs.
Sapulpa firefighters were at the business Wednesday morning evaluating damages and checking to make sure nearby businesses were operational.
“Last night I was in the back of the store fixing the room and I heard a real loud noise, and when I came up to the front of the store water was just pouring in and the ceiling tiles started falling in,” Diane Gloden said Wednesday while restoration crews worked around the building. “One of the neighbors from another business (Ovations dance studio) was at the door and said to get out. He thought the roof was collapsing.”
The Glodens said the local police and fire departments responded quickly and helped save some of the items in the building, but “a lot of the damage had already been done.”
Bat guano was strewn in some areas near the upstairs hair salon Wednesday, presenting a possible safety hazard to the family, who has had the country store in the building for more than a decade.
While the restoration crews worked, Raines came by the building to see how her parents were doing. She said a nearby business is letting her and two other hairstylists use their space until it’s clear whether the building can be salvaged, and that she will continue to “make it work.”
“We have to wait to find out if it’s toxic (inside) and what can be cleaned up and what can’t,” Beth Gloden said. “We’re not only dealing with water damage, but everything else that comes with an old building. It’s really overwhelming.”
Samantha Vicent 918-581-8321
samantha.vicent@tulsaworld.com
Picture: Garry Roberts takes photos of the destruction at his home Wednesday after Tuesday night’s tornado near Bristow. Roberts’ home, barn and sheds were badly damaged. JESSIE WARDARSKI/Tulsa World
