People In Salina Cleaning Up After Tornado Damage

People in Salina and Craig's Cove are looking at weeks of cleanup after a tornado swept through.

On Tuesday, everyone with a chainsaw, tractor, truck, or ladder was hard at work in Craig's Cove, protecting what was left or cleaning up what was left behind.

Some have damage that's too big to handle.

“This was a 60-foot tree, and the 60-foot tree went straight that way, through the deck, missed the house, but lifted up the foundation of the house by maybe a foot,” said Bob Calamina, who lives in Craig’s Cove.

Tammy Cleveland's house had relatively minor damage, while her neighbors had more. She said they could hear and feel the tornado coming.

“We got in the storm shelter, could feel the walls shaking and stuff hitting the garage door, and about 10 minutes later, it was total calm,” she said.

The roads through the neighborhood are steep and narrow in places and are now lined with down trees. Volunteers arrived shortly after the storm to help clean up, according to Salina's Police Chief Larry Young.

 “Our whole town, and all of northeast Oklahoma, has come in to help us out,” he said. “We have people from all over here helping us out.”

The sheriff's office was delivering meals to the neighborhood while power was still out.

Progress to fix that is visible in a neighborhood where many are grateful they took cover in the right spot at the right time.

“It just sounded like a train coming through,” Calamina said. “There was a big boom. I didn't know what it was. We weren't in the house when this actually fell.

The sheriff's office and the City of Salina are working together to coordinate assistance.

918-434-5027 is the number to call for non-emergency help.