Volunteers Working To Repair Tulsa Church Damaged From Storms

A south Tulsa church is missing an entire wall after storm winds blew it clear off the building.

Thursday, Central Church of the Nazarene was exposed to the elements, but thanks to volunteers, the huge wall is now covered up with a tarp.

Volunteers are also busy transforming the north end of Central Church of the Nazarene into a tropical oasis.

Vacation Bible School starts Monday, and because of their hard work, you’d never know that, on the other side of the church, an entire wall is missing.

"The sky was just this dark green-ish. It was just kind of creepy,” said Jaycee Cravello, who works in the church office.

She said a pre-school class was in session when the tornado warning went into effect Thursday. Teachers walked them into a hallway, also known as their "safe zone," until it was canceled.

Cravello said, "The storm was coming through and it was so fierce; we were watching out through the front windows. The wind was just blowing horizontally, I mean, it was just crazy."

After the storm passed, church members looked around at all the damage. In the women's restroom, they found all the ceiling tiles had caved in.

"Right over in this far corner was where it was open to the exterior, right back in here," Cravello said.

The church was able to get an insurance adjuster and a structural engineer on site within just a few hours.

Because the wall is so large, it will likely be a pricey fix, but the church is grateful no one was hurt.

Cravello summed it up pretty well, "Sorry it had to happen, but I don't know what else...It's Oklahoma."

Church services will continue as normal on Sunday and VBS will start Monday.