“Beacon of light” in Sulphur after tornado rips through
SULPHUR, Okla. (KFOR) — It’s another day of cleanup for Sulphur. Despite all the destruction, people in town are clinging to what they’re calling a ray of hope through a window.
“You see, it’s just a miracle. It’s what it is,” said Fred Chitwood, who goes to First Christian Church in Sulphur.
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A church that’s been around for a century was nearly untouched by Saturday’s deadly tornado that ripped through Sulphur.
“We came through so much destruction. So we were not very hopeful,” said Chitwood.
However, as churchgoers looked at the damage Sunday morning, shock began to set in.
“I walked into the sanctuary and it was just like it was every Sunday, just like it was last Sunday, said Chitwood.
Chitwood said the stained glass windows are 100 years old. There’s a protective layer of glass over them that broke during the storm, but the windows themselves, practically perfect.
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“We surveyed all the glass, all the stained glass, a hole about the size of a quarter in all that glass from all this destruction,” said Chitwood.
While the church itself does have some damage on the third floor left, the main sanctuary is untouched.
“You expect something to be water in the floor or anything,” said Chitwood.
The church is one of the tallest buildings you see driving into town and Chitwood said as the town works to clean up and rebuild, it stands as a sign of hope.
“It’s so good to still see it standing here just as a beacon of light. And with all this destruction around, you know. What a blessing it is that it’s still here,” said Chitwood.
A room left untouched in the midst of a storm.
If you need to report damage, go to damage.ok.gov.
Officials in Sulphur said the Red Cross is coordinating volunteers for cleanup help. Local resources and help are at the Murray County Expo.
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