"It's too good of a town not to rebuild," Sulphur family searches for hope
Several Sulphur families cleaned up what was left of their downtown businesses after Saturday's deadly storms.
SULPHUR, Okla. (KFOR) - Several Sulphur families began to clean up what was left of their downtown businesses after Saturday's deadly storms.
Tracy Jones was one of the few trying to pick up the pieces of her husband's law firm downtown.
"I just don't see a future and I'm worried about the future for the town, the future for my daughter," said Jones.
| READ MORE > Update: 4 dead after tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma, State of Emergency declared >
She walked KFOR around destroyed businesses surrounding the entire downtown area. During the walk to what was left of her husband's firm, it seemed to hit her the seriousness of what had happened.
"I just didn't know it was this bad out here, it's bad down here. It's just horrible," said Jones. "We all know each other around here, it's a small town. The future of this place is just so hard to imagine right now."
Jones said she knew just about everyone who had a business downtown, her cousin had a shop around the corner from the law firm.
"Here take one," said Jones. She handed over a small purse from her now-destroyed cousin's shop. Giving out things for free after she and her family had lost everything.
Around the corner where her husband's firm once stood was a group of people helping clean up what they could.
One of the women in the group was her daughter who had driven from Stillwater to help out. Of all three cleaning up there was Riley, Kinley, and Meredith.
| READ MORE > Senator Lankford tours the devastation in Sulphur >
"We grew up here," said Riley. "We spent our life coming to parades here, we grew up here. There's a whole life here. We got hit by a tornado northeast of town once awhile ago but nothing like this. It was horrible last night because we were watching it and then the power went out so we couldn't see the news anymore."
While being interviewed, officials called out a warning that buildings around them were on the verge of collapsing so they moved to a safe spot.
"The tag office next to me was destroyed," said Jones.
Her husband is Fob Jones, a Choctaw Appellate judge who in February was sworn in as the Choctaw Nation's new judge. She said he was trying to find the fastest flight out of Washington D.C. so he could get back home.
"We have to rebuild, we're not leaving," said Tracy. "My husbands livelihood is here along with all of these other people."
Jones was one of many business owners who spent Sunday picking up the pieces of their shops, garages, and antique stores.
But when asked by others what she needed for help, money or resources, she pushed the offer to the others that worked and lived near her.
"We're not the ones looking for charity, there are so many others who need help," said Jones.
What would you say to those who live and work in Sulphur who are looking for help, asking what to do now?
"I get it, the future is hard to imagine now. But guys I'm so, so sorry but this is real. It is as bad as they say it is down here, it's like a war zone but you know we can rebuild. We all know each other around here, it's a small town. And I know the future of this place is just so hard to imagine right now but we need to rebuild. That has to happen, it has to happen. This is too good of a town not to rebuild."