Harrah Church Members Rally To Assist Tornado-Ravaged Communities

A tornado left a swath of damage at least 10 miles long through the city of Harrah, Okla.

Leaders and members of Harrah Church jumped into action the morning of the storms. The church is a Red Cross warming station, as well as a central hub for donations.

Harrah Church has its doors open for 12 hours a day offering citizens a hot meal, essential supplies, or just a helping hand to get them through an uncertain time.

Walking through the front doors citizens are met with food and kindness.

“My sister is a member here,” said Todd Jacobsen, a Harrah resident. “Been telling me to come here for years, so we’re here. The Lord works in mysterious ways.” 

Leading the way is Pastor Micheal Farris. “We’re just trying to meet the needs of the community,” he said.

Farris said donations and volunteers started arriving Sunday morning.

“We were up here at 9 a.m. and had volunteers and teams ready to go,” said Farris.

There are teams to handle the heavy lifting of clearing storm debris.

“I have about eight teams of volunteers, about four men per team with chainsaws and heavy equipment that are clearing driveways and helping anyone that’s in need,” said Farris.

There are volunteers behind the scenes managing what Farris called organized chaos.

“These are our managers of chaos, Melissa and Haley,” said Farris. “We put the addresses up if there’s a point of contact. We put the point of contact for that area.”

Many of the people working were directly impacted by the storms themselves. Farris was not surprised by the support that poured in.

“Not really, so I’m not surprised because I’m getting emotional,” said Farris. “Watching God just show up and take something that’s so chaotic and destructive and just be able to organize it.”

Those new to the state now understand what it means to be an Oklahoman. “To be so new and everybody just loving hands, it’s incredible,” said David Palmer, Harrah resident. “People of Oklahoma are so loving and giving, so neighborly. It’s just unbelievable.”

Farris said the church would remain open for as long as needed. For questions about donations or citizens in need of assistance contact the church at (405) 309-7456. The church has also set up a tornado relief fund. Donations can be made at any BancFirst location.

As of 6 p.m., Harrah Police say that 82 homes were affected, 15 minor, 7 major, and 16 were destroyed.

There were two areas still blocked by downed power lines that we need to survey, but it is estimated that assessments have been completed on 80% of the involved properties.