Idabel residents speak out after destructive tornado

IDABEL, Okla. — The community of Idabel has been left picking up the pieces of their lives after a tornado hit McCurtain County on Friday.

Crumpled up metal, holes in roofs and whole buildings reduced to rubble – that’s what was left behind after the storm.

One dead, others hurt after tornado hits Idabel, authorities say

Cindy and Lee Mayes live in the Country Club Estate in southeast Idabel.

They said they clung onto each other in the bathroom wearing bike helmets as the storm passed over. When they came out, the entire side of their house had been punched in by a tree.

Cindy said they thought they might die and prayed that they wouldn’t.

She described it as “total devastation.”

Lee said if they were in the living, they might have died.

“All our furniture in this part of the house was slammed up against our bedroom wall and the front door, so if we’d have been in the living room when it hit, it would have probably killed us...” said Lee.

Lorenda Shaw lives in northeast Idabel. What’s left of her home is scattered across a field after the roof of her house was ripped off.

“We were told today it would be a code red and it’s not safe to enter due to the shifting walls, so everything will be a total loss,” said Shaw.

Shaw said she’s lived in the home for 15 to 20 years.

“15 to 20 years, pretty much my kids’ lifetime, and they’re struggling with that as well, their childhood home is gone,” she said.

Cleanup underway in Idabel after deadly tornado

On the main road into town, a pile of metal and wood is all that remains of a tire shop that Hilton Mendoza has managed for 13 years.

He’s sifting through the pieces of what was his livelihood.

“Terrible, completely terrible, I’m sure you know this small town Idabel here, we were their suppliers, tire suppliers,” he said.

Every member of the community that FOX23 spoke with said Idabel is close knit and they’ve had a lot help from friends and neighbors and they’re so thankful for them and their support.

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Homes and businesses destroyed after tornado in Idabel, Okla.