SULPHUR, Okla. — City, county and state leaders held a press conference in Sulphur on Monday morning to provide updates on storm recovery in the city.
Sulphur's Public Information Officer Brian McDaniel gave updates on the extent of the damage as surveying continues.
McDaniel said around 75 homes were damaged, and "the entire business area downtown was dramatically affected by this tornado."
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Volunteers are pouring into the area, he said.
"Right now, we're kind of overrun, and it's wonderful to see this many people show up and support this community," he said.
He asked any volunteers looking to help to go through the Murray County Expo. He said there are no immediate needs as far as donations are concerned, but any donations can also be dropped off at the Murray County Expo.
Citizens should leave debris of any kind by the road so ODOT and city crews can begin picking it up. Debris should be separated into vegetative debris and building material.
Residents and business owners can report damage to damage.ok.gov.
2 News Oklahoma's Justin Ayer toured a damaged home with a homeowner who said, "My family is alive and that's all that matters."
Murray County EMS Director Brad Lancaster said the tornado that tore through the city was an F4.
The Red Cross said a shelter is open at 2108 W. Broadway Ave. Anyone in need is encouraged to visit the shelters. Food, water and supplies are available. The Red Cross is also assisting in reunifications.
The shelter will be open 24/7 until they are no longer needed.
Murray County EMS Director Brad Lancaster said 30-40 patients were treated on the night of the storm alone. He said the Chickasaw Nation is expected to set up a medic unit downtown to help handle minor injuries to keep from overwhelming emergency rooms.
2 News' Justin Ayer spoke with volunteers:
One woman died during the storms, but Lancaster said the town was lucky to not have more.
"I worked a lot of tornadoes, a lot of places that weren't nearly as fortunate as we are with a number of injuries and fatalities," he said. "So praise God for that. It could have been much worse."
Officials haven't released the identity of the woman who died, but Pete Haines with the Unified Command System said he went to school with her.
"[She was] a very, very big part of this community. She's just a blessing to everybody and we're going to miss her," Haines said.
City Manager Andy Freeman was choked up speaking with the media.
"It's very humbling," Freeman said. "Our town's devastated but we will rebuild this. Our public works department, they're out helping these people try to get back to their lives. We're going to work on the residential area. And try to give them access to that. We're working with the business owners downtown to try to get them in there to get whatever they can out of it."
2 News Erin Christy talked to a business owner who lost her father just weeks earlier and now has to rebuild.
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