A powerful one tornado In May, a violent storm tore through Bartlesville, Oklahoma, leaving a trail of destruction. Two and a half months later, pieces of destroyed homes, downed trees and other debris still litter the ground.
River Garrett, 8, had to grow up quickly amid the disaster.
“Our family wasn’t hurt, but it’s kind of sad to know that other families were hurt too. They were hurt badly,” River said. “I was in tears because I didn’t expect that much damage. But I figured I couldn’t take this personally.”
This year tornado season is on track to be the third busiest ever, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. In addition to $28 billion in damages and the 30 people killed so far in 2024 by extreme weather, the emotional toll is incalculable when a community is destroyed — a toll that lingers long after the news crews have left and the attention has faded.
River and his grandmother, Jimmie Blake, and the rest of Bartlesville are still trying to get back on their feet. The tornado ripped off part of Blake’s roof and scattered priceless family heirlooms far beyond their property. A family photo was blown 21 miles away into Danny Lemmons’ pasture.
“There was a pile of plywood and insulation lying around. I said to my wife, ‘I know who these people are. [in the photo] “are,” Lemmons said.
According to NOAA, more than 1,000 tornadoes have been reported in the United States so far in 2024. The one that hit Bartlesville was rated at the top of the intensity scale, an EF-4 with winds of up to 200 miles per hour.
Dr. Harold Brooks studies severe storms for the National Weather Service and builds instruments to take into the field to study storms as they occur.
“There are small towns that have been almost completely destroyed by tornadoes and never rebuild because it’s hard to recover when there’s no infrastructure,” Brooks said.
About 20 miles southwest of Bartlesville, the town of Barnsdall was one of the communities hardest hit by the May tornado, which killed two people and destroyed more than 83 homes, according to Mayor Johnny Kelley.
“I don’t know if there are enough adjectives in the vocabulary to describe this deal,” Kelley said.
When a nation’s eyes turn away, the need remains.
“There’s no one here anymore and we’re here to deal with what’s left. It’s a real emotional roller coaster for people,” Kelley said.
In Bartlesville, 8-year-old River looks to the future.
“It will take some getting used to, but hopefully everything will be cleaned up and we will have a new home,” River said.
It took 120 years to build the community, and it will take time to rebuild it.
Dave Malkoff
