Sapulpa Daily Herald from Sapulpa, Oklahoma • 1

1 -V OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY HISTORICAL BUILDING OKLA CITY OKLA 73105 Devastating Storms Thrash County Disaster Status Sought To Assist In Recovery ACE Mobile Home park north of Sapulpa was caught in the backwaters of Polecat Creek Sunday morning, with four trailer homes virtually submerged Herald Photo Sapulpa Daily Sapulpa, Okla 74066 Monday, June 10, 1974 lx, editor 's Ifjotebooh By ED LIVERMORE RANDOM thoughts after a weekend of storms, rain, and destruction THE NEWS coverage of Saturday storm by KRMG was outstanding The station had people on all fronts within minutes after the storm touched down in Drumright, and the coverage continued for several hours following the tornadoes as they picked their way through the metropolitan area SAPULPA, although suffering the worst water damage in the years we ve been around, can consider herself fortunate At 6 55 Saturday night a twister went right over the downtown section, at an estimated altitude of 1,000 feet Just minutes later it was reported on the ground in the vicinity of Riverside Airport, and a visit to that area will give you some idea of what Sapulpa almost had THE NEED for a city-wide system of warning sirens was never more clearly demonstrated than Saturday night Sapulpa needs at least four such installations, one in each corner of the city The two now in service are not sufficient This is a project that the entire community should have an interest in More on this later oOo DESPITE man ability to touchdown on the moon, float weather satellites around the globe, it is still obvious that no one can accurately call the time and place for a tornado This area suffered under tornadic conditions for several days until the big blow finally came on Saturday night Once that period was over, perfect weather returned The same conditions that produced the Saturday night storm were prevalent most of last week LONE STAR SCHOOL was heavily damaged by a twister which dipped down at 7 12 Saturday, unroofing one row of classrooms Herald Photo State Toll 15 Dead, Over 300 Injured A LOT of people were out watching the approaching storm Saturday night Civil Defense, Auxiliary police, and many full time patrolmen and enforcement officers were at their posts around the area This no doubt was responsible for a lot of people being prepared in the Sapulpa area for a storm that luckily did not arrive But the efforts of these volunteer people would be much improved with an area- wide warning system By JERRY WILSON TULSA UPI President Nixon today declared eastern Oklahoma a national disaster area following weekend tornadoes and flash floods from Oklahoma City to the Arkansas border which left 15 dead, over 300 injured and 1,617 families homeless Tulsa Mayor Robert LaFor- tune said he had been notified of the Presidential declaration by Sen Dewey Bartlett, ROkla The storm left 13 persons confirmed dead from direct stormrelated causes in eastern Oklahoma and another two dead at Pier 51 on Lake Keystone from asphyxiation when a generator on their house boat failed after electrical power was knocked off by the storm Many Homeless We have 1,617 families homeless in central and eastern Oklahoma from flood and tornado damage, said Red Cross disaster services director Jim Monahan Half of these will be able to make their homes livable again within 48 hours Monahan said 178 homes were destroyed, 532 had major structural damage and 795 suffered minor structural damage In addition, two mobile homes were destroyed and 46 badly damaged Tulsa, and the little town of Drumright pop 3,000 located midway between Oklahoma City and Tulsa, were the hardest hit by the twisters Gov David Hall made an aerial survey of the Drumright, area, where six persons were killed by the tornado, and called the storms the most damaging in the state history A nursing home housing 100 in Drumright was destroyed I Fortune called the flood and tornado damage in his city the worst ever Counties included in the presidential disaster declaration were Tulsa, Creek, Lincoln, Adair, Rogers, Mayes, Craig, Oklahoma, McClain, Ix gan, Cleveland and Ottawa At least one Tulsa resident was killed during the series of about half a dozen twisters that toll for the greater Tulsa area struck the city and the death was six See TOLL Page 3 Help Requested For Victims Spokesman Talva Lacey of the Department of Social and Rehabilitative Services sent out an appeal Monday for Sapulpans to pitch in and help their less fortunate neighbors who suffered damage in Saturday storm Clothing, food, utensils, and housewares of all types can be used in efforts to help those homes ravaged by winds and flooding All people have to do is call us, Mrs I acey said, and we will come to pick up whatever they have to give The number to call is 224-0213 Violently boiling clouds spewed death and destruction unmatched in Creek county history Saturday evening, with tornadoes claiming lives in Drumright, Olive and Lake Keystone Pounding rains followed, triggering flash floods that chased dozens of Sapulpans from their homes A tornado swooped down on Lone Star school at 7 12 ripping the roof off a half-dozen classrooms and causing other damage The building was unoccupied Lifts Up Again Robert Peek, who lives just south of the school, said the funnel lifted immediately, sparing a densely-populated area of South Sapulpa Other wind damage was reported throughout town A house at 501 12th was completely unroofed Plate glass windows were shattered at Danny Drive-In, 417 Dewey One half of the roof of the Jones Supermarket, 501 Dewey, was removed by what occupants of the building described as a tornado just after 7 Saturday There were no injuries reported at the store We fought the water until 2 a Sunday, said Phil Jones, We were open Sunday We lost about 80 cases of merchandise There is a temporary roof over the store at present County Civil Defense Director Clarence Diets said I ve never seen a storm like thaL-directly over our heads and I ve been in Oklahoma territory all my life 20 Inch Rain The storm front which spawned at least 45 funnels in northeastern Oklahoma brought drenching rain Sapulpa water treatment plant measured 5 20 inches and the worst flooding in years Although the total rainfall was less than the destructive Labor Day, 1971, flood, the rapid rise covered a wider area Main and Hickory street bridges over Rock Creek were inundated, isolating the southern part of town except by boat and adding to area woes Polecat creek, which remained out of its banks Monday, blocked access from the south by closing off Highway 75-A and Pickett Prairie Road DRUMRIGHT Nursing Home, hardest hit in Creek county Saturday storms, was virtually destroyed This corridor is where residents were huddled for safety Herald Photo City Begins Repair ork See STORMS Page 3 The city of Sapulpa was very fortunate in comparison to other cities in the immediate area hit by Saturday stomp, said Vern Ijames, city manager, Monday morning After looking at the situation, we were very fortunate, Ijames said, Most of the damage was from heavy rain and strong winds rather than tornadic activity The city is still at work repairing the damage to streets, the sewer system, water supply system and clearing streets of trees and limbs Most of the damage was in the west part of the city near the golf course and south near Lone Star school, Ijames said The damage to the city sewer system is still being evaluated but there have been no complaints of sewer back-up today, he added Ijames explained there are 10 lift stations In the sewer system and no one is sure exactly how many are working after the heavy rains The south sewage plant is operational but the northeast plant is inundated As soon as the water See CITY Page 3 Relief Claims Persons who have had water damage to their property and desire to apply for Red Cross disaster relief should contact Mrs Eugenia Stivers at 2240955 A case worker will be in Sapulpa to help with the evaluating of claims Mrs Stivers said There is no accurate estimate yet on the number of homes that have had flood damage but it is expected to number between 60 and 100 Red Cross Lists 15 Dead In Storm r-v 4 -y '-TL ES 4 ta' as 14 SXjJl FIRE claimed this home occupied by Mike Whitehead, 109 Glenpool, early Sunday Rock creek floodwaters had blocked South Main, preventing firefighters from getting to the scene Herald Photo TULSA UPI The American Red Cross disaster services office in Tulsa today released the following list of those confirmed dead due to storm related causes In Oklahoma during the weekend DRUMRIGHT All Tornado Ray Crockett, 79 A Kan- ive, 60 Mrs Ed Taylor, no age available Mrs Hall Bryson, 69 Mrs Mary Taylor, 88 OLIVE near Drumright Mrs Benjamin Hollman, 70, tornado TULSA Joseph Byars, 71, tornado TAHLEQUAH Shannon Mamimdin, 2, drown CHEWEY Allie Nicholson, about 60 drown CHELSEA Meda Butler Brewer, 58, drown PROCTOR Ollie Nelson, 63 OILTON Billie Joan Wright, 38, of Glencoe, Okla car wreck CREEK COUNTY Mary Gillman, 27, tornado The Red Cross also reported two deaths of a Prattville, Oklahoma, couple on their houseboat docked at Pier 51 at Keystone Lake Saturday from asphyxiation which they said could be considered a storm- related death because the boat generator was faulty and the couple died of carbon monoxide poisoning after electric power was knocked off to their boat by the storm They were George Battenfield, 50, and Midge Battenfield, 51 The Red Cross also said another possible tornado death had been reported, but not confirmed, near Barnsdall, Okja Incidentally and Marie Mullins celebrated their 33rd wedding anniversary with a week-end camping trip at Greenleaf Lake Jerry Inman says it seems he being picked on Saturday storm destroyed two hay barns at his home south of Mounds, his Truck Stop station on the Beeline plus framework for a building under construction at the station this was the second time winds had demolished that structure Larry Holt says he picked the right weekend to leave town, he missed all the excitement Saturday Anniversary greetings to Tarry and Joa Laa Pat McGoire is pretty handy with a mop as are most of the business people on South Main happy birthday today to Vicki Ginn and Brenda Lister and also to Rav A Smith who celebrates his 95th today belated greetings to Noble Ginn who observed her birthday Sunday the Herald invites Molly Barry and guest to see The Brothers Toole showing tonight at the Criterion Present this clipping at the box office WU-JVI '-V 1 yL4ty 4'4.