Storms, Strong Winds Cause Damage In Mannford

Storms caused quite a bit of damage in Mannford Sunday.

Strong winds ripped through town toppling trees and damaging buildings.

"Big gust of wind came through and then there was a big bang," Jacob McDaniel said.

McDaniel was inside when strong winds hit his neighborhood in Mannford. On his street, the wind split trees and scattered the loose branches.

"When the storm calmed down, we looked outside and saw branches everywhere and then down the road a tree had fallen on someone else’s trailer," McDaniel said.

His neighbors were inside when the tree in their backyard crashed down on their roof. They said they were sleeping, and it was quite the wake-up call.

One of the branches punctured the ceiling of their bathroom. Another punched a hole through the roof and wall of their bedroom.

Across town, Lakeside Child Development Center Owner Debbie Ardrey is assessing damage at the center.

"Right now, on the center we have totally lost our roof on the main building," Ardrey said. "The building is full of water, it's totaled."

Ardrey said they lost paperwork, food, computers and TV's. The center takes care of 80-90 kids, and she doesn't know how long it'll take to get back up and running.

 "We're a small community so this is going to be devastating," Ardrey said. "My first thought when I got here and saw what happened was what are we going to do with all these children, they've got to have a place, the parents have to work, and they have to have a safe place to be."

The center is making arrangements for the children, and others in the community are stepping up to help.

"It's crazy that it's just really close," McDaniel said. "I'm just happy to see people helping out in the community a little bit."