The tornadoes that struck Sapulpa may have hit almost two weeks ago, but the remaining damage was enough to get Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready to come visit Sapulpa on Wednesday morning.
A short meeting at Sapulpa Fire Station Central on Dewey, Mulready was briefed on the damage and the response by Fire Chief David Taylor and Sapulpa Public Works Director Steve Hardt. The damage was incredible, to say the least.
“I’ve no doubt that this will surpass the damage from the 2007 ice storm,” Hardt said. Later, he told Sapulpa Times, “in 2007, it was mostly limbs. This time, we’ve got entire trees that were just uprooted, because the ground was so saturated.”
First stop: Isabella’s
Mulready, along with Senator James Leewright, State Representative Mark Lawson, Chief Taylor and Director Hardt started by surveying the damage at Isabella’s and talking awhile with the employees there.
Johnny Brown’s Insurance
From there, they visited Johnny Brown at Brown Insurance Agency, whose building was one of the hardest hit, losing the glass storefront of a business that hadn’t even opened yet.
Related: See photos of the damage here.
Brown, owner of Brown Insurance, spoke with high regard for the community and restoration companies. “With as much work as it is, I’m pretty pleased with the response from everybody,” Brown said.
Sapulpa Fire Museum
Finally, at the Sapulpa Fire Museum over at the corner of Lee and Park, Mulready saw the damage taken to the building and met with Historical Museum Director Mike Jeffries and Main Street Director Cindy Lawrence.
Will Creek County be added to the list of those qualified for individual government assistance?
It was a question asked of the State Insurance Commissioner while he was in town on Wednesday. His response was that only three counties—Wagoner, Muskogee, and Tulsa—have been listed on the major disaster declaration. Mulready says that may change. “As OEM and FEMA now make their way around, we are hopeful others might be added,” he says.
There are currently 160 FEMA folks in Oklahoma with another 30+ on their way.
A second volunteer effort is being organized for Saturday, June 8th. Stay tuned to SapulpaTimes.com for more information on how to apply for assistance in that.
