TERLTON, Okla. — It has been about a week since wildfires devastated parts of Oklahoma, and the wounds are still fresh, but life continues on.
2 News Oklahoma’s Douglas Braff listened to people in the Terlton area about day-to-day life after losing so much.
“Pretty much anything you need, we've got it here,” said Flager, a member of Terlton Fire Auxiliary. “And if I can't get it, I'll get it.”
Flager and Terlton Fire are collecting and organizing donations, getting them to those who need it most.
“Everybody's living the best they can right now,” she said. “They're surviving at this point. They're all exhausted, they're all tired.”
People who need it most are those like Tara Upton, who lost her home and almost everything she had.
“It's hard to sleep. It's hard to eat,” she told 2 News as she was picking up necessities. “Right now, it's just trying to do the day-to-day stuff.”
Even though her four cats have been missing for days, she still picks up food, holding out hope they'll return home.
When asked if life continues on in any way, she replied, “The only thing that continues on is the bills are still due.”
“That's the only thing that continues is the responsibilities continue,” she added. “There is no break.”
Patricia Guthrie told 2 News the fire “ended up burning down our home in the path of this wildfire, and we lost everything that we owned.”
Like Upton, Guthrie now relies on family and the generosity of others.
“But we have a tight community here and they're like family. And if it wasn't for them, I don't know what we would do,” she said, starting to cry. “I am so grateful for everybody that has donated and helped out because if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have anything.”
Also, like Upton, Guthrie can’t work because of disabilities.
“As far as most things, it's the normal routine. You just have to navigate all this other stuff in between and try to do the best you can,” said Guthrie.
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