FORGAN—In late February, wildfires spread across northern Oklahoma, burning thousands of acres. Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) responded by providing food for the firefighters and all first responders in the Forgan, Beaver, Hooker and Woodward areas. Churches in the area also assisted by providing support and staging shelters for those evacuating.
On Friday, March 6, another round of severe weather swept across Oklahoma impacting several communities in the eastern and northeastern parts of the state. Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a state of emergency for Alfalfa, Creek, Grant, Major, Okmulgee, Rogers Tulsa and Wagoner counties in response to the widespread damage.
“Oklahoma communities have been hit hard this week by dangerous severe weather and tornadoes, claiming precious lives and causing damage to property,” said Stitt. “As we continue to navigate the ongoing risks of storm season, I encourage all Oklahomans to stay aware and ready by following local alerts, heaving a safety plan in place and heeding warnings to shelter.”
DR volunteers traveled to the affected areas to assess damage and respond to the needs of those affected.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected and especially to the family and community of Beggs that lost loved ones in the storm,” said Oklahoma DR Director Jason Yarbrough.
According to Yarbrough, DR should finish response to the February fires by the end of the week. While there was scattered damage from the tornadoes, Yarbrough said local teams are responding as requests come in, so a full-scale DR response is not necessary. DR will continue to monitor the weather in the coming days as another round of severe weather is possible.
“We will be monitoring the weather for Tuesday as there is a widespread risk of storms and possible tornadoes as well as an increased fire risk across Oklahoma,” said Yarbrough.
For more information on Oklahoma DR or to submit a service request, visit okdisasterhelp.org.
