SULPHUR, Okla. — It’s been one year since an EF-3 tornado hit the town of Sulphur causing significant damage to homes and downtown businesses, and as much as the town cleaned up, areas are still looking like the day after the storm.
2 News spoke with a man who’s called Sulphur his home for his whole life. He’s urging the community to come together once again.
“On that first morning after the storm when I walked through, it was like I was going through a public funeral. Like I was paying respect to my city,” said Bryce Chitwood.
When he walks through downtown Sulphur, he still feels the loss of what was.
“It was really turning into a vibrant place. So many of the businesses were filled after the Artesian opened and now just to see it gutted like this is really difficult,” he said.
Many of those businesses lying rubble filled with the floor and walls resting in their basements. One of the spots frozen in time was a leather shop, where the smell of rain-soaked leather mixed with damp wood.
Inside the ceilingless basement, remained half-finished projects.
Chitwood took 2 News to the place where his family set up shop. He said it’s not easy knowing the century-old documents and memorabilia his family lost.
But aside from that, a sheet covered a piece of the wall where a mural sits. The community used what they had to protect it for when his family rebuilds.
One year after parts of town are seemingly untouched. Chitwood said it’s been a slow process with funding getting stalled in some as others just take longer.
“It’s not a one-year turnaround. It’s not a three-year turnaround. In ten years, I imagine we’ll still be picking up the pieces of this tragedy that hit our town,” Chitwood said.
He said there’s more to the town than where the tornado touched down. He wants people to explore all of Sulphur’s offerings.
“Sulphur is open for business and that’s the message we want to spread to people. It’s one of the biggest ways folks can help us right now is they can come back and see us,” he said.
But a piece of Sulphur history stands out. Several years ago, the community wrote a musical about a southern Oklahoma town.
Which predicted the town’s needs, years in advance.
“The title track of the musical is ‘Come Back and See Us.’ And I just think how fitting that message is for this time now,” Chitwood said.
Further walking down West Muskogee Ave. came an area of tragedy and resilience. One of the biggest stories to come out of Sulphur was the tornado that hit Raina’s Sports Lounge.
Numerous people were inside the bar when the tornado hit. It was also home to the only death in town that night.
Going up to the bar's entrance remained the tile flooring once a spot for gathering, not exposed to the springtime conditions, as it was a year ago.
Chitwood said it’s places and pieces like Raina’s and its tile flooring – the towns holding close and looking to salvage.
“So, those are the pieces we have to hold on to any way we can right? We can’t save everything, but we can save some things,” he said.
But the need to preserve Sulphur’s history comes as new buildings are rising in place of the old.
New bricks are sitting next to piles of old ones. Bring life back to areas of the time, left lifeless for the past year.
Chitwood told 2 News this storm also exposed some needs.
“We still don’t have a community shelter here. It’s mind-blowing to me that we can’t get funding for that,” said Chitwood.
2 News covered their old community shelter, which was condemned days after the tornado, due to it being unsafe.
Local News
Sulphur storm shelter condemned after residents complain 4 days after tornado
He said the community’s speaking with local representatives to get things like a storm shelter approved.
This is why Chitwood’s gathering the community, to mourn, honor and take action, as he said many aren't looking in the rearview.
“Relying on each other and making our voices heard and letting folks know that we still need help, please do not forget about us,” he said.
But the drive for change and recovery is strong, saying the town has the momentum for movement and community connections – not wavering.
“Except for the loss of Sheila, we still have each other, and we are going to be okay. And we are going to be okay. It doesn’t always feel like that when you drive by, and you see things still in such a state of disrepair, but we’ll get through it and rely on each other,” said Chitwood.
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