CURRENTLY IN CRITICAL CONDITION. AS WE HEAD TOWARD SUMMER, THE TOWN OF SULFUR IS GEARING UP FOR ITS BUSY SEASON. BUT LOCALS THERE, THEY STILL DEAL WITH THE AFTERMATH OF THE 2024 TORNADO. EVERY DAY THIS WEEK MARKED TWO YEARS SINCE THAT DEVASTATING AND DEADLY STORM. SOME BUSINESS OWNERS ARE JUST NOW GETTING BACK TO THEIR NORMAL HOURS. OTHERS, THOUGH, GUYS, GAVE UP COMPLETELY. KOCO JASON BERGER WENT TO SULFUR TODAY TO SEE HOW THEY’RE DOING. IT’S BEEN TWO FULL YEARS SINCE THE 2024 TORNADO DID ALL THIS TO DOWNTOWN SULFUR. IT’S BEEN A SLOW PROCESS, BUT SOME HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RESTART SUCCESSFULLY. THE ONES THAT WERE DAMAGED THE MOST, THERE’S NOT MANY OF THEM THAT ON THIS STREET THAT HAVE COME BACK. THE REMNANTS OF THAT 2024 STORM ARE EASY TO FIND IN SULFUR. WALKING DOWN MUSKOGEE STREET BUILDINGS ARE STILL IN PIECES, WHILE OTHERS HAVE COMPLETELY BEEN REMOVED. YVONNE REMEMBERS HER OWN BUSINESS GETTING HIT BY THE TORNADO AND TRYING TO GET INTO SULFUR AFTER THE FACT. THEY ALREADY HAD A BACKHOE DOWN HERE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THE SPORTS BAR THAT WERE TRAPPED IN THE SPORTS BAR. THEY WERE EVENTUALLY ABLE TO BUILD A BRAND NEW BUILDING, AND THEY JUST REOPENED A LITTLE OVER SEVEN MONTHS AGO. BUT THAT STORM WAS IN APRIL 2024. FINDING THE MONEY TO TAKE THIS ON WAS CHALLENGING. FEMA HELPED. IT WILL HELP CITIES AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND NONPROFITS, BUT THEY DON’T DO NOT EVEN CLEAN UP FOR BUSINESS OWNERS. SHE SAYS THEY COULDN’T GET ANY HELP FROM FEMA, BUT THEY DID GET SOME GRANT MONEY FROM THE CHICKASAW NATION. BUT IT’S A REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS. SO SOME SHOP OWNERS DIDN’T EVEN TRY. WE QUALIFIED FOR THE GRANT AND GOT AND GOT THE GRANT MONEY FROM THE CHICKASAW NATION, AND IT HELPED TREMENDOUSLY. BUT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE MONEY UP FRONT. BUT SHE HASN’T GIVEN UP ON DOWNTOWN SULFUR. QUITE THE OPPOSITE. WE’RE TRYING TO HOPEFULLY GATHER PEOPLE AROUND WHERE OTHER BUSINESSES WILL SEE THAT THERE IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR FOR BUSINESSES TO SUCCEED DOWN HERE. THEY’RE WELCOMING AND THEY THEY WANT ANYONE AND EVERYONE WHO, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO BE A PART OF THIS COMMUNITY TO COME BE A PART OF IT. LAILA BARNES BUILT THIS NEW FLOWER SHOP FROM THE GROUND UP. SHE SAID. CITY MANAGEMENT HAS WELCOMED HER. SHE’S JUST DOWN THE BLOCK FROM YVONNE. SHE SAYS SHE SEES THE POTENTIAL THAT SULFUR OFFERS, BUT KNOWS THE START UP COSTS ARE A BIG LIFT. IT’S OVERWHELMING JUST TO BUILD A BUSINESS IN GENERAL WHERE YOU KNOW WHERE THERE HASN’T BEEN A TORNADO, AND THIS JUST MAKES IT, YOU KNOW, TWICE AS HARD. AND OF COURSE, SPRINGTIME IN OKLAHOMA ALWAYS COMES WITH RISKS. WE’VE HAD TORNADO SIRENS GO OFF HERE, LIKE IN THE LAST WEEK. AND I GUESS THAT IS IT’S THAT’S IN THE FOREFRONT OF YOUR MIND. AND YOU’RE HOPING, YOU KNOW, CAN IT HAPPEN TWICE IN THE SAME SPOT? YEAH. SULFUR IS ARTESIAN ARTS FESTIVAL IS HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND. AND BOTH BUSINESS OWNERS NOTED TOURISM AND EVENT
Sulphur businesses continue to rebuild after devastating 2024 tornado
Two years after the 2024 tornado devastated Sulphur, business owners are working to rebuild, with some reopening and others struggling to recover.
Two years after the 2024 tornado tore through downtown Sulphur, business owners are still navigating the challenges of recovery, with some reopening and others unable to rebuild. >> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning Newsletter“The ones that were damaged the most — there’s not many of them on this street that have come back,” said Yevon Bolles, owner of Mix Mercantile Trading Company. Walking down Muskogee Street, the storm’s impact remains visible, with buildings still in pieces and others completely removed. Bolles recalled the immediate aftermath of the tornado, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a local sports bar. “They already had a backhoe down here trying to get people out of the sports bar, they were trapped in the sports bar,” Bolles said. Bolles considers herself fortunate to have rebuilt her business, which reopened seven months ago in a brand-new building. However, she said the financial challenges were significant, especially since Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance was unavailable for business owners. WATCH: SBA administrator tours Sulphur tornado damage“FEMA will help cities and civic organizations, nonprofits, but they don’t do, not even cleanup for business owners,” Bolles said. She explained that while her business qualified for grant money from the Chickasaw Nation, the reimbursement process required upfront funds, which deterred some shop owners from rebuilding. “We qualified for the grant and got grant money from the Chickasaw Nation, and it helped tremendously, but you have to have that money up front,” Bolles said. Despite the challenges, Bolles remains optimistic about downtown Sulphur’s future. “We’re trying to hopefully gather people around where other businesses will see that there is the possibility for businesses to succeed down here,” she said. Lela Barnes, owner of Willow and Company Flower Shop, shares Bolles’ optimism. Barnes built her flower shop from the ground up and said city management has been welcoming to new businesses. “They are welcoming, and they want anyone and everyone that wants to be a part of this community to come to be a part of it,” Barnes said. Barnes acknowledged the difficulties of starting a business in Sulphur, especially after the tornado. “It’s overwhelming just to build a business in general where there hasn’t been a tornado, and this just makes it twice as hard,” she said. Spring weather in Oklahoma also brings lingering concerns about tornadoes. “We’ve had tornado sirens go off here in the last week, and that is in the forefront of your mind, and you wonder, can it happen twice in the same spot?” Barnes said. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.Sulphur’s Artesian Arts Festival is taking place this weekend, and both business owners emphasized the importance of tourism and events in bringing customers through their doors.Top HeadlinesMissing State Senate candidate from western Oklahoma found dead: What we knowPerson of interest in custody after 2 employees fatally shot in Kentucky bank robberyBodycam shows moment massive Queens explosion sends NYPD officers flying during responsePolice search for suspect after woman shot in the cheek in southwest Oklahoma CityAuthorities identify body of second missing student from University of South Florida
Two years after the 2024 tornado tore through downtown Sulphur, business owners are still navigating the challenges of recovery, with some reopening and others unable to rebuild.
>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning Newsletter
“The ones that were damaged the most — there’s not many of them on this street that have come back,” said Yevon Bolles, owner of Mix Mercantile Trading Company.
Walking down Muskogee Street, the storm’s impact remains visible, with buildings still in pieces and others completely removed. Bolles recalled the immediate aftermath of the tornado, including efforts to rescue people trapped in a local sports bar.
“They already had a backhoe down here trying to get people out of the sports bar, they were trapped in the sports bar,” Bolles said.
Bolles considers herself fortunate to have rebuilt her business, which reopened seven months ago in a brand-new building. However, she said the financial challenges were significant, especially since Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance was unavailable for business owners.
WATCH: SBA administrator tours Sulphur tornado damage
“FEMA will help cities and civic organizations, nonprofits, but they don’t do, not even cleanup for business owners,” Bolles said.
She explained that while her business qualified for grant money from the Chickasaw Nation, the reimbursement process required upfront funds, which deterred some shop owners from rebuilding.
“We qualified for the grant and got grant money from the Chickasaw Nation, and it helped tremendously, but you have to have that money up front,” Bolles said.
Despite the challenges, Bolles remains optimistic about downtown Sulphur’s future.
“We’re trying to hopefully gather people around where other businesses will see that there is the possibility for businesses to succeed down here,” she said.
Lela Barnes, owner of Willow and Company Flower Shop, shares Bolles’ optimism. Barnes built her flower shop from the ground up and said city management has been welcoming to new businesses.
“They are welcoming, and they want anyone and everyone that wants to be a part of this community to come to be a part of it,” Barnes said.
Barnes acknowledged the difficulties of starting a business in Sulphur, especially after the tornado.
“It’s overwhelming just to build a business in general where there hasn’t been a tornado, and this just makes it twice as hard,” she said.
Spring weather in Oklahoma also brings lingering concerns about tornadoes.
“We’ve had tornado sirens go off here in the last week, and that is in the forefront of your mind, and you wonder, can it happen twice in the same spot?” Barnes said.
Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.
Sulphur’s Artesian Arts Festival is taking place this weekend, and both business owners emphasized the importance of tourism and events in bringing customers through their doors.
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