A confirmed EF-1 tornado tore through North Tulsa last Friday, leaving damaged roofs, downed trees, and a community rallying together in its wake.
Warnice Conley has lived in North Tulsa for more than 50 years. She said Friday night was unlike anything she had experienced before.
WATCH: Neighbors champion north Tulsa clean up after EF-1 tornado:
"I've never seen it like this before," said Conley. "We’ve had storms and maybe tree limbs down and stuff, but nothing else. But I’m just grateful no one was hurt.”
The tornado ripped her street apart, tearing away part of her roof. She said the storm moved so fast that there was little time to react, but she heard only the sirens.
"Before we could get down the hall and take cover, it was done, hit and gone, it was that quick," she said.
Some of her neighbors fared worse, with severe damage to their cars and trees going through their roofs. Conley said she was grateful everyone was okay and that North Tulsa is not left to recover alone.
"Red Cross people were here, the city was here, neighbors were here, and relatives were here; we had all kinds of help," said Conley. "It made me feel really good because every time I would come out and see all these people working, it just choked me up to see people working together like that."
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Across the street, that same sentiment was echoing at Josiah Roche's house.
"It's funny that disasters oftentimes remove the barriers quickest between neighbors," said Roche. “People’s roofs got ripped off, and so many neighbors were offering to help unload their stuff and relocate it temporarily, and so it was really encouraging to see so many people."
Roche came home late on the evening the storm hit. He found a large tree had hit his roof as well.
Beyond the damage, he said what stood out to him was the sense of community.
"It was really encouraging to see so many people. It felt a little bit like a festival, everybody was out about on the street walking and checking on people, so I was grateful to be living in an area that is so neighborly in that way."
With more storms forecast for the week ahead, residents are working quickly to clean up and secure their homes. Conley said the experience has given her a new perspective.
"I'll be more attentive to it now, but I'm thankful to god that we're all alive," she said. "We're blessed. We still have a house, we still have our vehicles. They're just damaged, but that's alright, we'll get it fixed."
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