THAT POTENTIALLY SAVED ROBBIE AND HER FAMILY’S LIFE. SHE TELLS ME SHE WAS ON THE WAY TO HER MOTHER IN LAW’S HOUSE TO CHECK ON HER WHEN SHE GOT THE NOTIFICATION TO GET TO SAFETY. WE WERE COMING TO CHECK ON HER. BY THE TIME WE GOT IN, WE WERE GETTING THE CALL SAYING, IF YOU’RE NOT IN SHELTER, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT. ROBBIE AND HER FAMILY HAS LIVED IN COLE FOR NEARLY 20 YEARS. MY CAR IS GONE. I MEAN, LIKE IT. IT’S ALL GONE. AND THIS IS WHAT’S LEFT OF HER HOME. I KEPT SAYING IS I’M JUST LOST. I JUST. YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN. YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO. YOU DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START. YOU KNOW, YOU JUST DON’T KNOW. SHE DESCRIBES TO ME THE TERRIFYING MOMENT THE TORNADO TOUCHED THE TOWN OF COLE. IT WAS JUST SO LOUD. I MEAN, THERE’S JUST DEBRIS JUST SLAMMING AROUND EVERYWHERE. IT WAS VERY TERRIFYING. ROBBIE SAYS HER DAUGHTER, MOTHER IN LAW AND HUSBAND, TOOK SHELTER WITH ONLY MINUTES TO SPARE. YOU JUST DON’T KNOW. YOU KNOW, YOU TAKE THINGS FOR GRANTED OR I THINK I DID. YOU KNOW, I DIDN’T REALIZE WHEN I WALKED OUT OF THERE THAT I HAD ONE PAIR OF SHOES AND MY MY PANTS. AND I HAD TO, YOU KNOW, WE DIDN’T HAVE ANYWHERE TO LAY OUR HEADS DOWN. BUT THE COMMUNITY NOW COMES TOGETHER TO LEND A HELPING HAND FOR THEIR NEIGHBORS IN NEED. THE VOLUNTEER FIREMAN, IT’S ALL OF OUR FRIENDS. IT’S THE AGONY, THE TREE. IT’S OUR CHURCH. IT’S OUR WORK. IT’S THE FFA. KIDS THAT HAVE SHOWN UP FROM DIBBLE AND FROM WASHINGTON AND IT’S THAT LOVE AND SUPPORT THAT’S KEEPING HER FAMILY HOPEFUL. WE PRAYED, AND I BELIEVE GOD HAD HIS HAND ON US. AND HE HAS BIG PLANS FOR US BECAUSE THERE’S NO OTHER WAY. THERE’S NO OTHER WAY. AND THE MCLAIN COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE SAYS IF YOU HAVE STORM RELATED DAMAGE, TO RE
Cole family makes it to tornado shelter with minutes to spare
Damage is widespread throughout McClain County, and residents are left picking up the pieces of everything
Updated: 5:43 PM CDT Apr 20, 2023
Two people were confirmed to have died in the town of Cole as tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Wednesday. | MORE | Tornadoes, severe storms in Oklahoma leave 3 dead, widespread damageDamage is widespread throughout McClain County, and residents are left picking up the pieces of everything. One woman said her family got to safety with minutes to spare. She said she was going over to her mother-in-law's house to check on her when she got the call from the shelter immediately. "We were coming to check on her, and, by the time we got in, we were getting the call saying, 'If you're not in shelter, you're not going to make it,'" said tornado victim Robbie Bridwell. Robbie and her family have lived in Cole for nearly 20 years. "My car is gone. I mean like it's all gone. It's all gone," said Bridwell. "The thing that I kept saying is, 'I'm just lost.' You don’t even know where to begin. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know where to start. You just don’t know." She described the terrifying moments a tornado touched down in the town of Cole. "It was just so loud," said Bridwell. "I mean, there was just debris slamming around everywhere. It was very terrifying." Bridwell said her daughter, mother-in-law and husband took shelter with only minutes to spare. "You know you just take things for granted, or I think I did. You know, I didn’t realize when I walked out of there that I had one pair of shoes, my pants that I had on. You know, we didn’t have anywhere to lay our heads on," said Bridwell. But the community is now coming together to lend a helping hand to their neighbors in need. "It’s the volunteer firemen. It's all of our friends. It’s the ag industry. It's our church. It's our work. It’s the FFA kids that have showed up from Dibble and Washington," said Bridwell. It is that love and support that is keeping their family hopeful. "We prayed, and I believe God had his hand on us, and he has big plans for us. Because there's no other way. There's no other way," said Bridwell. The McClain County Sheriff's Office said if you have storm-related damage to report it to damage.ok.gov. Top HeadlinesTornadoes, severe storms in Oklahoma leave 3 dead, widespread damageSky 5 shows damage left behind following Oklahoma tornado outbreakGov. Kevin Stitt says Oklahoma Standard at work while surveying Shawnee tornado damagePreliminary Report: Several tornadoes confirmed Wednesday night in OklahomaOklahoma Baptist University sees extensive damage during severe weather, tornado outbreakShawnee assisted living center hit by tornado, leaves dozens without shelter
COLE, Okla. — Two people were confirmed to have died in the town of Cole as tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Wednesday.
| MORE | Tornadoes, severe storms in Oklahoma leave 3 dead, widespread damage
Damage is widespread throughout McClain County, and residents are left picking up the pieces of everything. One woman said her family got to safety with minutes to spare.
She said she was going over to her mother-in-law's house to check on her when she got the call from the shelter immediately.
"We were coming to check on her, and, by the time we got in, we were getting the call saying, 'If you're not in shelter, you're not going to make it,'" said tornado victim Robbie Bridwell.
Robbie and her family have lived in Cole for nearly 20 years.
"My car is gone. I mean like it's all gone. It's all gone," said Bridwell. "The thing that I kept saying is, 'I'm just lost.' You don’t even know where to begin. You don’t know what to do. You don’t know where to start. You just don’t know."
She described the terrifying moments a tornado touched down in the town of Cole.
"It was just so loud," said Bridwell. "I mean, there was just debris slamming around everywhere. It was very terrifying."
Bridwell said her daughter, mother-in-law and husband took shelter with only minutes to spare.
"You know you just take things for granted, or I think I did. You know, I didn’t realize when I walked out of there that I had one pair of shoes, my pants that I had on. You know, we didn’t have anywhere to lay our heads on," said Bridwell.
But the community is now coming together to lend a helping hand to their neighbors in need.
"It’s the volunteer firemen. It's all of our friends. It’s the ag industry. It's our church. It's our work. It’s the FFA kids that have showed up from Dibble and Washington," said Bridwell.
It is that love and support that is keeping their family hopeful.
"We prayed, and I believe God had his hand on us, and he has big plans for us. Because there's no other way. There's no other way," said Bridwell.
The McClain County Sheriff's Office said if you have storm-related damage to report it to damage.ok.gov.
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