JENKS, Okla. — Everybody's talking about the storm from the weekend, and that includes our children. We went to a local park to hear their thoughts and words of wisdom about weathering the storm.
"It was wild!" exclaims 5-year-old Hayes Newcomb.
Storm stories are swirling even with summer in full swing at Veteran's Park in Jenks.
"The storm was like really big; it was like bang!" says 8-year-old Kaliyah Butcher.
As the Butcher family enjoys this sunny day, there's still talk of that stormy night.
"It scared me a little bit. I was just chilling in my room. Our electricity went out, and then I went outside to see what was happening. And it was a lot of wind, and stuff was falling down like branches," says 13-year-old Isaiah Butcher.
Isaiah's 6 -year-old brother had a different story to share.
"I was sleeping," says Zaryon Butcher.
He says he knew Mom and Dad had it handled.
"My parents were prepared. They put my helmet in the bathroom and the lights and the candles so I could see in the morning," says Zaryon.
And when his sister woke up the following day, she couldn't believe her eyes!
"Outside, there were sticks everywhere!" says Kaliyah.
Across the playground, the Newcomb sisters bounce around their tales. "I didn't hear a thing because I just slept through it," says Hayes.
Older sister Finley says, "The lightning was super bright and really loud."
And when the girls looked outside, they knew there were neighbors to help.
"Our neighbor's house, their tree broke in half. The trees by our pond were all bent sideways. There were lots of leaves. We had a lot of mud in our backyard," says Finley.
Hayes adds, "The trampoline polls were bent, and behind my fence, a tree broke down. It was not very fun to see."
These Oklahoma kids had some takeaways from that stormy night that they won't soon forget.
"I've learned that I should not go outside during the storm," says Isaiah.
"If it's just a storm, it'll still be OK. If it's sirens, then you might have to go somewhere where there's no glass or windows," says Kaliyah.
"We should always tie down trampolines so they won't blow away," says Hayes.
Finley reassures other kids, "There's nothing to really worry about unless it's a really big tornado. We're really fine. Stay calm during a storm, and you'll be OK."
With some big life lessons learned, the kids say they're ready to get the splash pad back on and the lazy, hazy days back underway.
"Enough of the storms. I'm done with that. More summer!" says Finley.
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