FEMA sending financial relief to help Seminole after devastating tornadoes
The town looks a lot better than it did when tornadoes hit Seminole in May, but there's still work to do
The town looks a lot better than it did when tornadoes hit Seminole in May, but there's still work to do
The town looks a lot better than it did when tornadoes hit Seminole in May, but there's still work to do
Federal funding is on its way to Oklahoma to help in recovery almost two months after damaging tornadoes tore through Seminole.
| MORE | Widespread tornado damage reported in parts of Oklahoma
The town looks a lot better than it did when tornadoes hit Seminole in May, but there's still work to do. A homeowner told KOCO 5 that he's glad to have a roof over his head.
"I sat out here until the transformers over here started blowing, and then I went in," Troy Short said.
Seminole has made huge progress since the tornadoes, but residents are still picking up the pieces.
"It was pretty wild. It was the first time I've ever been in one," Short said.
Short told KOCO 5 he's going to work on his own roof after the storms ripped off a lot of shingles. He said it could have been worse, and it was for his neighbor who lives no more than 20 feet away.
| MORE | Supply chain issues causing setbacks as Seminole works to rebuild after tornadoes
"She had to move out," Short said. "The ceiling was falling in and everything. And they condemned it. Said it wasn't livable."
City attorney Brad Carter showed some of the damage at the academy of Seminole, which still doesn't have a roof.
"As you can see here with the bus, it literally almost completely destroyed the school almost and damaged a lot of their equipment," Carter said. "The declaration that they pushed so hard for apparently allows the release of monies for those that are affected."
Federal Emergency Management Agency money is on the way to help Seminole County. President Joe Biden signed off on Oklahoma's disaster declaration, which will make funding available to homeowners and business owners through grants.
But it's hard to say when the cleanup will happen.
"It's impossible to tell, but I can tell you the whole community has come together. Neighbors, friends, people from out of town," Carter said.