2 Local Idabel Businesses Destroyed By Friday's Tornado

A family in Idabel that's served the community for decades are picking up the pieces after Friday's tornado destroyed their hair salon business. The owner, Gwen Campbell, said seeing her business like that brought her to tears.

Saturday, November 5th 2022, 8:32 pm



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Tornadoes wreaked havoc on the McCurtain community on Friday. An overnight tornado destroyed more than 100 homes and businesses in southeast Oklahoma, killing one person in McCurtain County.

A family tells News 9 they have been serving the Idabel community for decades and their businesses are a total loss. Gwen Campbell said the destruction of her business brought her to tears.

“When I walked up, I just about lost it. It's just your whole life. It's your livelihood, but it's not our life,” Campbell said.

Campbell opened this hair salon in the 80s with her sister.

“We'll either rebuild or do something somewhere else,” Campbell said.

The 1200 sq. foot building offered hair, nail and waxing services with only four employees. Now, her supplies are scattered around her property, along with her neighbors’ stuff.

Next door is Stones Paints and Body Shop, another business deemed a total loss.

“We had an oning right here just over these vehicles that I pulled up so they don't get hailed on. Now I really wish it would've just hailed instead of,” Matt Stone said.

Stone is the owner of the body shop and Campbell's nephew.

“This particular one has been here since 1983,” Stone said.

Stone said he will recover from this, but it won't be easy.

“You can have $10 million worth of insurance it doesn't cover the emotional part of it. What you see on the camera does not even hold a candle to what we sat here and feel and see.

The McCurtain Emergency Management director said dozens of people have the same story as this family.

Related Story: At Least 1 Dead In McCurtain County Following Tornado

News 9's Anjelicia Bruton was live in Idabel at 6 p.m. where folks are surveying the damage.


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