MANNFORD, Okla. — With only the shirts on their backs, Rex Haugh and his wife fled flames that engulfed their Mannford home.
Like so many other families, the Haugh's lost everything.
They've only lived in town for a year. Even through the devastation, Haugh said he couldn't imagine being anywhere else.
“This community is just overwhelming," he said. "It just swallows you up. That’s what opens your eyes you know… we’re blessed.”
2 News brought you a first look at damage in the day light:
As the Mannford fires kicked off a catastrophic week of flames and loss, 2 News asked Rex how he's been coping as more fires have raged all across Green Country.
He said he's leaning on the only things he has left.
“With family around helping us out and the churches and the communities, we’re getting by," said Haugh. "Bless their hearts, we’d be lost with out them.”
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Jenks resident Allan Napoli had a similar thought. Though he can't relate to what the hard hit community is going through, he knows they need support.
That's why he brought his therapy dog, Watson, to the resource center set up at Mannford High School.
“Watson seems to make people smile," said Napoli. "It’s like I tell people, I hold the leash, he does all the work.”
The accomplished pup visits nursing homes and the airport on a weekly basis, well-versed in greeting people in any emotional state.
"I haven't learned much in my life but one thing I have learned is sometimes all you have to do is just sit there and listen," said Napoli. "Hopefully we're helping out a little. I know we can't solve the problem in it's entirety, but hopefully we're just giving a little help."
Haugh was at the multi-agency resource center, stocking up on everything from water to cleaning supplies. He said he and his wife are living out of a camper for the time being, and are taking everything one step at a time.
And while things seem bleak, Haugh is trying to focus on the good he's seeing across his community, rather than all the devastation surrounding them.
“We pray that God don’t blow our little camper away, because the winds have kind of shook us a little. But, I got a Bible over here so I can be steady with Him. I know he’s got a purpose," he said.
The high school resource center closes at 7 on March 20. The American Red Cross is taking over recovery efforts from here on out.
- Friday, March 21, 12-7 p.m., Mannford High School, 219 Evans Ave., Mannford
- Saturday, March 22, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., First United Methodist Church of Stillwater, 400 W Seventh St., Stillwater
- Sunday, March 23, 12-7 p.m., Logan County Fairgrounds,
215 Fairgrounds Road, Guthrie
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