Oklahoma Tornado Victims Seek To Rebuild

People aren't just dealing with historic flooding, some are also cleaning up tornado damage.

It's been a volatile spring across Oklahoma with many victims of flooding and tornado damage looking to rebuild.

An EF-2 tornado ripped apart Chance Johnson's home in Jay.

 "We were going to hide in that closet,” Johnson said. “There's no roof on it anymore, so it's a good thing we left."

This was one of more than 60 twisters that touched down in the Sooner State in the month of May.

Two nighttime tornadoes near Miami snapped trees, ripped off shingles and sent people rushing for cover as debris flew through the air.

"I looked outside, and I couldn't see three inches outside of our windows. About all I could see was stuff going by," said Chad Hopping, an Ottawa County resident.

From Osage SkyNews 6 HD, the path of destruction was evident as homes and businesses in Haileyville were reduced to piles to splintered wood.

"We got to watching the clouds, and some clouds were moving one way and some the other," said Talala resident Bill Vinson.

A stack of hay bales was all that kept Vinson's barn from collapsing after nearly 120 mile-per-hour winds produced an EF-2 tornado that afternoon.

At least four fast-moving, violent tornadoes knocked over power lines and left damage scattered from Kellyville to Sapulpa and into Jenks and Broken Arrow.

Related Stories: Sapulpa Residents Start Clean-up After Tornado 

“It all broke loose. The windows shattered, it was real hectic, real scary,” said one witness.

Another victim, Bobby Burt said: “We hit the closet. Got up, got the granddaughter up and hit the closet. Shingles blowing off and chairs blowing over, it was loud."

Through it all, Oklahomans continue to show their resilience and take comfort in the promise of brighter days ahead.