Written by Wei Du
Translated by H.B. Qin
Edited by Ida Eva Zielinska
As reported by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on May 8, 2024, “On April 25-28, 2024, a severe weather outbreak brought over 100 tornadoes to parts of the Midwest and Great Plains, causing heavy damage and loss of life.” In Oklahoma, in the late evening of April 27, the tornado outbreak killed four people, including a four-month-old baby, and injured many others. In the following hours, more than 20,000 people across the state lost power.
Sulphur, Oklahoma, with around 5,000 residents, was hardest hit. The tornadoes nearly flattened the small town, destroying homes, sweeping cars and buses into the air, then throwing them down and uprooting trees. Many people lost everything overnight. Upon hearing the news, Tzu Chi USA Central Region volunteers immediately launched a mission to provide disaster relief.
Mobilizing Immediate Action
On May 2, four Tzu Chi USA Central Region volunteers, Yuanliang Ling, Ciying Wu, Shuxia Li, and Hai Huang, drove more than two hours from the Dallas area in Texas to Sulphur, Oklahoma, to conduct a field assessment. Upon arrival, they found that the tornadoes had razed the entire town to the ground, and the scene was horrific.
The Tzu Chi volunteers then visited the Local Assistance Center (LAC) that the Oklahoma State Government had set up in Sulphur and met with Laurie Fried, Territorial Long Term Recovery Specialist with the Salvation Army Southern Territory. According to a conference call on May 9, the LAC was to gather charitable organizations to assist survivors in the four hardest-hit areas. The Tzu Chi USA Central Region team would join all the other organizations in helping the tornado outbreak survivors.
Going on Vacation Helped Some Evade Harm
On May 10, 2024, Tzu Chi USA Central Region volunteers met at the office at 10:00 AM, loaded up supplies, and left for the Oklahoma disaster area. After a 2.5-hour drive, the team arrived at the distribution site, Celebration Family Church in Sulphur, at 12:30. They brought in the relief supplies, including cash cards and eco-blankets, hung Tzu Chi banners, set up their services area, then waited for the survivors to arrive. Soon after, they appeared one by one, fatigue and loss etched on their faces.
“My apartment was destroyed, and my car was destroyed. It was the first time our town had had a tornado like this, and it’s been devastating,” Alex Colbert shared. Luckily, Colbert and her family were on vacation when the tornadoes hit the area, so they escaped harm. Still, it’s hard to replace all the material things that were lost, and she was thankful for Tzu Chi’s aid.
This [cash card] will really help me with the things that I need to take care of my family with the day-to-day things. I really, really appreciate it.
A Challenging Aftermath
“My mom is in the hospital, not because of the tornado; she was here before. If she had been home, she would have been killed,” said 60-year-old Vicky Skidmore. She had come to the distribution to pick up supplies for her 80-year-old mother, Elizabeth McCracken, as the tornadoes had severely damaged her house, and she needed help. As McCracken is currently in the hospital and couldn’t come herself, Skidmore came instead.
lizabeth McCracken married and became a parent at the age of 18. She and her husband then worked hard to build a home in Sulphur, where McCracken lived for over 50 years. McCracken is warm and welcoming. She takes care of her neighbors, often sharing the food she cooks with them. Her warm and welcoming home was the perfect place for everyone to get together, and there was always a lot of laughter and joy there. However, the tornadoes at the end of April severely damaged her home and swept up many belongings, never to be seen again.
Now begins the task of finding McCracken a new place to live as she starts over at the age of 80. After the hospital discharges her mother, Vicky Skidmore will have to find another place for her to stay, and her mom is understandably upset because she had a big house before with a lot of furniture. Her daughter comments, “When she got married, she was really young, and I asked her, ‘Did you ever have a housewarming party?’ and she said no.” Skidmore adds what she said to her mom after, “Well, when we get you into a house, we’re gonna have a housewarming party because you have nothing!”
In fact, Skidmore had more than this to contend with since the tornadoes ripped their status quo apart. “I have lots of family and friends whose houses were hit. My brother was also impacted. He’s blind. His house was not destroyed, but he can’t live there until it’s fixed. My brother is living with his ex-wife, who is deaf. My daughter’s house was hit. So, there are seven of us living in my house right now.” Since the tornadoes, Skidmore has truly become the backbone of the family, trying to support everyone.
After learning about McCracken’s condition, Tzu Chi volunteers asked Skidmore to collect the cash card and supplies for her mother. Tzu Chi volunteers also went to the hospital to visit McCracken, who was surprised to see them. Her mood lifted thanks to their attentive care.
During the distribution, families with one to three members received cash cards of $800; families with more than three members received $1,000. Thirteen families comprising 30 individuals benefited from the distribution on May 10. Three deaf and hard-of-hearing families were among the care recipients, and Tzu Chi volunteers could attend to their needs thanks to interpreters.
