City Of El Reno Holds Event To Help Tornado Survivors Sign Up For Monetary Donations

Survivors of the deadly EF-3 tornado that ripped through El Reno gathered together to sign up for relief money. The City of El Reno started a GoFundMe account, and so far it has raised over $59,000 dollars. The City says they’ve received even more i

Wednesday, May 29th 2019, 10:21 pm

By: Bonnie Campo

Survivors of the deadly EF-3 tornado that ripped through El Reno gathered together to sign up for relief money.

The City of El Reno started a GoFundMe account, and so far it has raised over $59,000 dollars. The City says they’ve received even more in private donations.

In a crowded room, those who witnessed the storm got a basic survey. It asked questions like: What's your name? Where did you live? What's a good phone number?

Donations should be ready to go out in the next few days. They will be delivered in rounds, according to El Reno Mayor Matt White.

“I don't want to hang on to this. I want to make sure this money gets to the hands of people who need it,” said White.

The money will be presented in check form or gift cards. The mayor said the amounts will likely vary based on the needs of those involved.

But after this much destruction, the City will need more than $59,000 to cover the cost of the EF-3 damage. Some residents did not have insurance, and many are unsure about what will come next, including Kimberly Hatton. She lived in the trailer park with 10 people in her household.

“Like my grandsons, they wanna go home. But I don't know if we can go home. I went in my trailer today and it's cracked from one end to the other,” said Hatton.

News 9 met Hatton a few days ago. She and her grandson showed up to a free laundry site. They had to run from their trailer home without shoes after the tornado. She was the first in line for relief Wednesday.

“We have got to keep going, you can't stop, you still have to live,” said Hatton.

As for clean-up, weather has delayed that progress. The tornado sirens sounded in El Reno again Tuesday, May 28.

El Reno said they are waiting on help from the state and the feds. They hope FEMA and emergency money will ease the burden on those who lost everything.

“We are going to get everyone up and running just a little bit. And as the money comes in, and as we see where the needs are, we are going to give more and more to the people who need it,” said Mayor White.

If you missed Wednesday’s event, you can still reach out to the City on Facebook, or on their website.

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