'Difficult To Think About': West Tulsa Church Remembers May 3 Tornado 25 Years Later

The largest, most destructive tornado outbreak in Oklahoma history was 25 years ago Friday. Forty people died on May 3rd, 1999, when 72 tornadoes touched down, nearly leveling the towns of Moore and Stroud.

Tornadoes also damaged buildings in Sapulpa and West Tulsa, including the Carbondale Assembly of God.

The tornado 25 years ago had a big impact on the church. Members said they ended up with more money and more members than before the tornado hit.

A quarter of a century later, the images from May 3rd are still haunting. More than 70 tornadoes took dozens of lives, and demolished neighborhoods across the state.

"It's still difficult to think about it,” Sandi Casey said. "We watched it as it came up the turnpike towards us, a day much like today, actually."

In West Tulsa, the rain fell as the cleanup began at the Carbondale Assembly of God. Casey remembers it well.

"The feeling, the gut punch, that you felt when you walked up on the property and saw the church, and you felt like part of your, part of yourself had been destroyed. But you know what we learned? That this building was not our church. Our church were our congregants,” Casey said.

She was at home when the twister hit late at night.

"As Oklahomans do, I was looking out the patio and saw the tail end of the tornado,” she said.

Seven people, including four children, were at the church and took shelter in the basement. Dan Wootton is now the Lead Pastor. He wasn't here during the tornado, but said the church withstood nearly $3 million in damages.

With insurance, donations from church members and other churches, they were able to spend nearly $5 million, and open their doors again, debt free.

Remarkably, a chandelier in the entryway of the church was not a new addition during the renovations.

"It was installed in 1970 and somehow, that day, surrounded by a bunch of glass, that chandelier was still completely intact. And so we have kept it up in our sanctuary to this day as a reminder that God's gonna be our protector, a reminder that we can make it through any storm,” Wootton said.

He said this past Sunday the congregation took a moment to pause and remember this day in history. Wooton said the church looks for ways to give back to other churches, as a way to pay it forward after the help they received decades ago.