Bartlesville Community Works To Clean Up After Tornado

People in Bartlesville woke up to tornado damage Tuesday morning after the twister swept through northeastern Oklahoma Monday night. Paula Hawthorne lives off Dewey Avenue and 22nd Street and heard the tornado sirens.

"It got real quiet," Hawthorne said. "I was like 'Well it never hits here, sirens always go off, it never hits."

She got in the bathtub with her dogs when what she thought would never happen, did.

"As soon as I got in there and covered my head, I heard glass shatter," she remembers. "I heard this loud noise and stuff banging up against the house and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever been through."

At daybreak, she saw trees and limbs littering the streets and yards in her neighborhood. Some trees were on top of homes and cars, and trampolines wrapped around power lines.

"This neighborhood is amazing," Hawthorn said. "Everybody was outside checking on all the neighbors, making sure everybody was okay."

Susie Harbison lives off Silver Lake Road next door to her son and saw the power of the tornado with her own eyes after two well-established trees were pulled out of the ground.

"Root and everything," she said. "I just can't believe it, but I'm a believer now, it can happen."

A boat sitting next to the trees was untouched, along with her and her son's homes.

"Not even touch the boat, that's unreal," she said in disbelief.

Across town on Washington Boulevard, another hard-hit area where the Hampton Inn and several businesses remained without power on Tuesday. Tornado debris covered the lawn and parking lot of the hotel. None of the guests were injured. Power crews worked throughout the day to restore power.

The following is a statement from the Bartlesville Hampton Inn:

"The Hampton Inn by Hilton sustained damage from the tornado that struck Bartlesville, Oklahoma May 6th . And while you can never be fully prepared for a situation like this, measures were taken earlier in the day to try and ensure everyone’s safety. Guests were sheltered in the hotel laundry room and when the storm had passed hotel team members, with collaboration from a sister property, relocated guests to that hotel. A large amount of debris in the hallway outside a room temporarily trapped a woman inside. She was uninjured and fire and rescue quickly assisted her out of the room. There were no reported injuries but the hotel did sustain damage and is currently closed. We are thankful for the calm reserve and quick thinking of our hotel team, the quick response of police and fire & rescue and the Hilton Garden Inn for their assistance. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in our community that has been affected by the storm."