First Responders After Storm Say They Aren't Heroes, Just Doing Job

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

LITTLE AXE, Oklahoma -- From the volunteer Fire Chief, to paramedics to volunteers, they said don't consider themselves as heroes, but just happen to be at the right place at the right time after the storm.

"It's just amazing the destruction, we haven't found very many things to salvage really," said volunteer Lori Mitchell.

Lori Mitchell is struggling to sift through the rubble after a tornado tore through her co-workers house.

It is this sentiment she hopes will help her colleague and his wife from complete heartache.

"He and his wife were under the staircase and both were injured so we couldn't leave this for him to come home to," Mitchell said.

Not too far from that home on Monday, just moments after the tornado, paramedic Stephen Yarbrough was scrambling to help as many as possible

"We were just treating on the side of the road. I carry a couple of kits in my vehicle for disaster situation and put that to use and treating people in the back of pickups and brush rigs of the fire department," said EMSTAT Paramedic Stephen Yarbrough.

Dozens of residents suffered from injures and felt the brunt of the storm.

"We had a lot of people coming out, some with different injuries, small chunks of wood under their skin, glass stuck in, just all kinds of injuries," Yarbrough said. "There was destruction everywhere. There were cars all over the road."

Little Axe Fire Chief Allen Schneider was one of the first on the scene in the area and found the Rider family completely devastated by the disaster.

"Our main concern was with the children at that time because it was pretty critical," said Chief Schneider. "Some of my firefighters had improvised backboards and brought them down the hill because they couldn't get vehicles up to them," said Chief Schneider.

Chief Schneider said he's never seen anything like Monday's storm devastation so close to home.

"This is hopefully the first time and the last time in the area out here, it's pretty devastating," Chief Schneider said.

Residents in the area have no power and no electricity, so they're still going through a tough time and hoping to salvage as much as they can.