TULSA, Okla. — Months after a tornado tore through Mayes county, a team of volunteers is being recognized.
An all women team, made up of Wagoner County Emergency Management volunteers, were some of the first to put their boots on the ground in Pryor.
Kay Meredith is one of them.
“We didn’t even think twice, and we all loaded up and we went," said Meredith. "Let’s just go get it done, take care of these people, get what they need and then we can regroup and see what else needs to be done.”
She's been giving her time to WCEM for the last several years, but had always been on the dispatch side of things.
- Previous Coverage >>> 'God protected us' | Pryor families cleaning up after storms
When the call came in to head to Pryor sometime after midnight, Meredith said she didn't hesitate.
“Tornadoes come at the worst time of course, I mean it’s dark you have no idea, they were blindsided, they had no idea. They have nothing, their cars are in trees and they don’t know where their kids are. Being a mom, I would be scared too, but I would want someone to take the initiative and come out and help me too.”
It wasn't intentional, to be an all women response team. Meredith said it just happened that way.
But it's not lost on her or her teammates the gravity that their representation carries.
“It doesn’t matter what gender you are, what you do in life, like you could be a teacher and still go do this," said Meredith. "You don’t have to sit on the sidelines, you can go out there and take the initiative to do something like this and change someone’s life.”
Meredith and the team spent a grueling five hours in the black of night in Pryor, clearing the roads and searching for missing people.
But keeping their focus on why they were there kept them going.
"It’s all in someones worst day, that’s what you’re there to do is make that day better.”
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- SUBSCRIBE on YouTube
