Barnsdall mayor gives update on damaged nursing home, tornado recovery efforts

BARNSDALL, Okla. — The FOX23 Severe Weather Team is following cleanup efforts 11 days after an EF-4 tornado hit Barnsdall .

Rebuilding is already underway at the town’s nursing home that forced residents to be taken to other facilities.

Mayor Johnny Kelley says as far as the recovery process goes, they’re several days ahead of schedule. We also talked to a volunteer crew from Florida who says they’re amazed at how much work has been done in such a short time.

Volunteers aren’t slowing down when it comes to rebuilding Barnsdall.

“This community has not stopped since the incident. They are ahead of where they need to be and I’m not going to be the one to tell them to slow down,” said Tom Lloyd.

Tom Lloyd is part of an incident management team from Florida that came into town five days ago.

“I hate to compare but they’re at least a week or so ahead in the process because they have just not stopped,” said Lloyd.

The Barnsdall nursing home is one business that took the brunt of the storm. Thankfully, no one inside was hurt, but the people living and working there had to get out.

“The damage done here was substantial to the roof and obviously with the rain, they’ve got a lot of damage inside,” said Mayor Kelley.

Workers were on the tarp covered roof making repairs. Mayor Kelley says he was last told they’re in the beginning stages of demolition.

“The one thing I’ve been told they are going to rebuild and be back. I don’t know if that’ll be a complete remodel of the current facility or if they’ll tear it down and build a new facility. I’m not sure of that,” said Kelley.

Mayor Kelley’s mom used to work at the nursing home. The hardest part he says is seeing people try to salvage belongings or coming back to nothing.

“We had a couple in the hospital and they were discharged cause they were told they’d be better off at home in their beds. They don’t have a bed, they don’t have home, they don’t have anything, it’s all gone. It’s just awful,” said Kelley.

More than 800 volunteers were in town this past weekend. Mayor Kelley says that is what’s making all the difference.

“Oklahoma people are just different. If we see a neighbor in need, we walk down the street and say hey, what do you need. It makes you really, really proud to be from Oklahoma,” said Mayor Kelley.