BARNSDALL, Okla. — Nearly 1,000 volunteers heeded the call on May 10 to aid Barnsdall after tragedy struck the small town. On Monday, a tornado tore through Green Country, hitting Barnsdall the hardest.
So far, according to emergency officials, it has killed one person there and injured dozens more.
One man, Wayne Hogue, remains missing.
Officials estimate that it damaged or destroyed nearly 200 homes in the town of about 1,000 people.
It goes without saying that Friday capped off a painful week for those who call this town home.
“I’m proud of my roots, and I’m proud to be a Barnsdall citizen,” Ross Walker told a crowd of volunteers gathered outside Barnsdall Elementary School.
Walker, a fire management officer for the Osage Nation, is helping spearhead this massive endeavor to clean up what's left of the rubble.
“Guys, I care as much about this town as you do," said Walker.
"And I know you want to see it cleaned up tomorrow as well—I do," he acknowledged. "But it ain’t gonna happen just by tomorrow.”
By midday Friday, one Osage Nation Wildland Fire Management official told 2 News that about 725 people enlisted to join the recovery effort, with more expected to flow into town.
With a federal disaster declaration now issued, FEMA assistance will head to Osage County, bolstering what will surely be a costly effort.
"I’m just a volunteer out here trying to help these people recover and—you know—be a true Oklahoman, be resilient,” Joshua Gomez, a U.S. Army veteran from Dewey, told 2 News.
After receiving instructions, volunteers picked up their high-visibility vests, purple wristbands, and placards and trekked to the most tornado-stricken parts of town.
It’s a large, coordinated effort—one that officials say will require time and patience.
Amber Ishmael drove down from Vera with her children, Camden and Cassidy, to offer a helping hand. They helped clear yards of fallen trees.
Ishmael told us she brought them “just to show them that—you know what—no matter what age you are, and if you have time, then help—when you can.”
While we don’t know how long this recovery will take, what we can say for certain is that Barnsdall has a lot of people in its corner.
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