Butler Community Dealt Another Blow By Storms

When a tornado ripped through parts of Delaware County, it bore down on Randall Brewer's rural home southeast of Grove.

Brewer and his wife were inside.

"It happened so quick, you don't even know what happened," Brewer said. "Just boom and it's over."

The Brewers have some cuts from flying glass, but they're okay.

Their home didn't fare as well. One side is completely gone, and the house moved several feet off its foundation.

"Nobody was seriously hurt. We got skinned up. That's just part of it. Going through something like this, if you can walk off, you're in good shape," Brewer said.

The old barn is also torn apart and there's debris all over his wife's old family home.

The place John and Doris Masters have called home for 66 years was also damaged. At 91, John said he isn't sure they'll be able to live in it again.

"I don't see how we're going to fix it," John said.

The homes are among six in the area with damage. Teams from Oklahoma Emergency Management are assessing what's left and trying to determine if there were more houses hit by the storm.

While work is underway to clear a tremendous amount of tree damage, at the Butler Fire Department, they're working to fix the garage doors. All but two were damaged.

"It took these front doors and laid them on the trucks and took the back doors and laid them in the neighbor's pasture," said Fire Chief Randy Prins.

Firefighters are also trying to help others without the use of their regular radio channels, after a repeater tower was knocked down.

Prins said it was a strong storm.

"Tin, insulation - just stuff everywhere - people's household tables. We've got somebody's lawn chair on top of our building. Ain't nobody lives within a quarter of a mile from here," Prins said.

Firefighters are piggy-backing on Grove's radio frequency until a new tower is put up.

Despite the damage, they're all grateful no one was killed. They're facing the challenge of moving forward, and the realization of how dangerous Oklahoma weather can get.

"It happens this time of year, and you've got to expect it," Brewer said.