Sulphur, Oklahoma, business owners cope with catastrophic tornado damage
Business owners hope to rebuild after their historic buildings were wiped out by an EF-3 tornado in Sulphur, Oklahoma. Many of the buildings date back to the 1920s.
Sulphur, Oklahoma business owners cope with catastrophic tornado damage
Christy Morris, co-owner of The Mix Mercantile, was one of many business owners who suffered catastrophic damage from the EF-3 tornado that tore through historic downtown Sulphur on Saturday night. She hopes to rebuild.
SULPHUR, Okla. – Historic Sulphur, Oklahoma, was left in ruins after a deadly EF-3 tornado spun through the downtown area, destroying everything in its path.
The area is known for its eclectic shops, artists, restaurants, murals and history, but it is unrecognizable after the nocturnal tornado on Saturday night. While visiting Sulphur the day after the tornado, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said he hasn't seen tornado damage this bad in his six years in office.
The National Weather Service in Norman gave the Sulphur tornado a preliminary rating of EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. However, the review is ongoing and could warrant a higher rating.
Murray County emergency management officials said one woman was killed in Sulphur, and dozens of people were injured.
Larry, Allison and Vicki Combs own an antique furniture business in Sulphur that was destroyed by the tornado. On Monday, they said their business wasn't recognizable.
Sulphur, Oklahoma businesses get to work after EF-3 tornado hoping to start over
Hali Ruth, owner of The Table Eatery, tells FOX Weather's Brandy Campbell they have just started to search through the wreckage of the EF-3 tornado. Ruth is a third generation Sulphur resident and plans to reopen her business.
"You see it on TV, (in) other places, and you feel bad for those people, but you really don't know it 'til it's you, 'til it hits you," Larry Combs said.
The full extent of the damage wasn't clear until the sun rose on Sunday morning on West Muskogee Avenue, but business owners like Christy Morris of The Mix Mercantile knew what they would find.
DRONE VIDEO SHOWS SULPHUR NEARLY UNRECOGNIZABLE AFTER DIRECT HIT FROM TORNADO
During the Tornado Warning on Saturday night, Morris was sheltering at home about 20 miles away when she tried to access cameras at the boutique shop to see what was happening in Sulphur.
"The alarm started going off, and that's when the tornado blew in our front windows and doors," Morris said.
After waiting for the path on Highway 157 to be clear enough to see the damage the next morning, Morris said it was "catastrophic."
According to photos Morris shared with FOX Weather, the doors, windows, most of the walls and everything inside are destroyed or gone.
"There is no way that we are going to be able to salvage it," she said.
Morris said it's especially devastating because the historic building was constructed in the 1920s.
‘A very special place’
The Table Eatery, a restaurant that shared The Mix Mercantile building, was also destroyed in the tornado.
Hali Ruth, owner of The Table Eatery, said she feels blessed by the community's outpouring of helping hands as they begin clean-up efforts.
An image on the left shows the view from Google Street View before the storm and the image on the right from Christy Morris, owner of The Mix Mercantile, shows the destruction after the tornado. (Google Maps/Christy )
Morris and Ruth said they would like to rebuild downtown Sulphur, and other area businesses also hope to reopen.
"It would be terrible if we couldn’t build back in that location, in that town, because it truly is a very special place," Morris said.
"We do have plans to rebuild, hopefully in the next year," said Ruth, a third-generation Sulphur resident. "We don't want to leave this community."
The Historic Downtown Sulphur Commercial District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which Oklahoma Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said the status makes the area eligible for federal funds to help with rebuilding.
Pinnell said the state will send resources from the Oklahoma Historical Society and the Oklahoma Main Street Center to begin the "process right away."