'Everyone's Fine': Oologah Family Recalls Scary Encounter With Tornado

The Brewer family has been living on a road in Oologah since the 1930s and they said the tornado that damaged their homes early-Sunday morning is the first they've seen.

Sunday, June 18th 2023, 6:58 pm

By: MaKayla Glenn

OOLOGAH, Okla. -

Thousands are still without power, and many people are cleaning up damage after a severe storm swept through Green Country.

Our Oklahoma weather experts confirmed a tornado touched down in Oologah earlier Sunday morning. One family is dealing with significant damage.

The Brewer family says a barn was blown a couple of feet into the air before it wrapped around a light pole. They think repairs will cost more than $5,000, but they are thankful everyone is OK.

Uprooted trees, debris, and scattered branches are the first things you see after turning down this road in Oologah. Brittany Dietrich says most of her family members live down the same street and all of them received some type of damage to their property.

"Everyone's fine," Dietrich said.

She said things began to get really bad outside around 12:40 a.m. after the third alarm went off. She says before she could round the family up to take shelter the tornado had already passed through the area.

"On the third one it woke me up and I got out, looked out the window and it was just calm and then I started hearing a big roaring sound like a train coming and a mixture with a jet, and that's how I knew a there was a tornado out there," Dietrich said.

Dietrich says the family has been on the land since the 30s and has never been in the direct path of a tornado. She says this is the worst damage their family's land has ever seen and it will take a while to get everything back to normal.

"A lot of tree damage, power poles, uncles’ shop was in the road and blew his shop off. Decks and cars are ruined from trees," Dietrich said.

For more on the June 17 Storms, CLICK HERE.