Cleanup Begins In Zena Community After Sunday's Tornado

Dan Bewley, News On 6

ZENA, Oklahoma -- Cleora wasn't the only Oklahoma community hit by tornadoes Sunday. Folks in Grove and Zena are adding up the damage too.

5/23/2011 Related Story: Grand Lake Picks Up After Tornado Touches Down

"I've been up since 4 o'clock. I don't even really know what I'm seeing, to tell you the truth," Otis Demspey Sr. said. "We've been trying to salvage everything he's got."

Zena, just north of Jay, was directly in the storm's path.  Otis Dempsey Jr.'s boat was tossed and turned, but his home is still standing.

"I'm amazed, and I don't know, I just can't, don't understand," he said.

The same can't be said for his brother's house, which was right next door. It's now a pile of rubble.

Friends and family are helping another storm victim, Mark Sheridan, try to salvage what they can from his home.  The storm punched holes in his outside walls and left the inside a tattered mess. The good news is that no one was home and no one was hurt.

"It just shows that you know if you keep your trust in God, you're gonna be all right," Sheridan said.

Northeast of Zena is the community of Butler, another community hit hard by the storm. For a three mile stretch from Butler to Southwest City, you'll find a trail of tree debris and downed power lines.

For a storm that left its mark, the other impression you can't help but be left with is that of Oklahomans coming together. Residents say no matter how bad the devestation, it won't keep them down long.

"Tear down and start over," Demsey Jr. said.