A year ago on April 19, tornadoes touched down throughout the Shawnee area, damaging homes, businesses, city infrastructure and school facilities. And while some signs of tornado damage are slowly disappearing with repairs, renovations and businesses reopening, recovery and reconstruction is still ongoing and will be for a long time.
The damage was widespread, with power lost to most of the town for about a week as the city and its residents, along with numerous businesses, restaurants and facilities, faced tornado damage and debris on a 15-mile-long path.
Over the past year, much has already reopened, including many businesses or facilities just this month. The Shawnee Family YMCA just reopened April 6 following extensive repairs there, while Northside Veterinary Hospital, which was completely destroyed, razed and rebuilt, will hold its grand reopening event this Saturday. A few other businesses or facilities around town are still closed while awaiting or making repairs.
On April 19, 2023, a Wednesday evening, springtime storms impacted the state, with numerous tornadoes recorded in central Oklahoma that night, including many of those in Pottawatomie County.
The National Weather Service surveyed the tornadoes from the night of April 19 and identified 18 tornadoes in central Oklahoma, including one that was doing damage in and around Shawnee, with several twisters impacting areas of Pottawatomie County.
In the days and weeks after the storm, Pottawatomie County Emergency Management Director Chad Larman reported 1,800 structures were impacted by the storm in Pottawatomie County. Of those, 300 homes and businesses had major damage, while 30 to 40 were completely destroyed.
While both residential areas and the business sector were heavily impacted by the tornado in central Shawnee, there also was damage in rural areas north of Shawnee, along with tornado damage in Bethel Acres and rural areas of Pink.
Stats from the National Weather Service showed the Shawnee tornado, which impacted much of the Kickapoo corridor and nearby areas including Shawnee High School and Oklahoma Baptist University, was recorded as an EF2 that caused damage over a path of 15.5 miles, with a damage path width of 2,300 yards, which is 1.31 miles.
With 130 to 135 mph winds, the Shawnee tornado formed southeast of Bethel, moved through Shawnee and lifted at the Lincoln County line, according to the NWS. It started at 9:39 p.m. and ended at 10:16 p.m., causing damage for 37 minutes.
Most of Shawnee was left without power. Emergency response began quickly, and despite the damage, especially along Kickapoo Street, many said it was a miracle there were no serious injuries or fatalities from the story.
After a long night of darkness, the morning light would reveal damage throughout the heart of Shawnee.
“We had a very rough night in Shawnee. It doesn’t take but a second to see all the damage, but you know, we are very, very fortunate – no fatalities … and no one that has been hurt badly that I know of,” Mayor Ed Bolt said during a press conference early on the morning of April 20.
First responders, along with more than 30 troopers from across the state, responded to Shawnee to assist local crews here with grid searches to ensure everyone was accounted for and safe in damaged areas. Many roadways were partially or fully blocked by trees, along with downed power lines and debris everyone, making it difficult – and dangerous – to move around town.
OBU sustained heavy damage, including the roof of the familiar Raley Chapel and the historic Shawnee Hall. Along with homes, countless businesses, including Shawnee Lowe’s and several local restaurants, sustained major damage from that night.
There was also tornado damage in rural areas of Pink, Tribbey and Bethel Acres. Among those was an EF3 that traveled .6 miles South of Pink with a path width of 250 yards and lasting about five minutes, the NWS reported. North of Pink, an EF2 traveled six full miles with a path width of 700 yards. It was active about 10 minutes. In Bethel Acres, an EF1 went 1.8 miles with a 400-yard width over the course of eight minutes.
Emergency management reported the tornadoes were very sporadic that night as they would be on the ground for a bit, then lift up to rooftop height, then drop down again.
The area in Pink area had two homes with minor damage, and in Bethel Acres, 74 structures total were impacted, with 63 having minor damage, five having major damage and six that were completely destroyed, according to reports after the storm.
On the north side of Shawnee, in areas from Westech Road north of the county line, 47 structures were impacted – 33 had minor damage, 11 had major damage and three homes were destroyed.
To help those displaced by the storm and power outages, the Red Cross opened a shelter in Shawnee and Gov. Kevin Stitt also made a trip to tour the damage around Shawnee on April 20.
OG&E crews were among those working around the clock after April 19 to make repairs to the electric grid in the Shawnee area, including 800 poles, 48 miles of overhead wire, 352 transformers and other damaged equipment to restore power to at least 23,000 customers in the Shawnee area .
Restoration for most of the Shawnee came around April 25, about 48 hours earlier than anticipated.
Many churches, organizations and other nonprofits and disaster services responded to Shawnee to help with disaster relief, with assistance including thousands of meals to those impacted in the area.
Homes, businesses and restaurants impacted
With many homes damaged, the impact was felt for many. Even those without tornado damage were impacted by debris, traffic and the fact that numerous businesses and restaurants were heavily damaged or destroyed and were closed.
Shawnee’s Lowe’s had quite a bit of damage, but worked quickly to partially reopen enough to offer goods and supplies to those needing them for cleanup efforts around town.
Other stores and restaurants were closed for several months while doing repairs, including PetsMart, T.J. Maxx, Staples, JoAnn Fabric, Burger King, Popeye’s, Braum’s on Kickapoo and MacArthur and many more, especially along the Kickapoo corridor.
The Boomarang Diner on MacArthur Street was completely destroyed that night. A year later, construction is progressing well on a new Boomarang building going up at the site. The classic and well-known Brown Derby drive-in on Kickapoo also was hit by the tornado on April 19, but repairs were possible there and were completed for reopening a few months later.
Other restaurants left damaged and closed a year ago have taken much longer to make repairs. The Sonic near OBU on North Kickapoo just opened earlier this month after extensive repairs and remodeling there, and Frateli’s at Federal and Kickapoo has also been closed for repairs and remodeling, with a reopening date expected any day now.
Northside Veterinary Hospital, 121 W. 45th, took a direct hit at its main building the night of the storm. With some work and reorganization, the staff there worked in the days and weeks after the storm to remodel and repurpose the kennels area that was not damaged so it could be used for operations, and then brought in portable buildings to remain open and as a vet clinic and hospital. Months later, the damaged main building was razed and construction began on the new vet hospital. This week, move-in is underway at the new Northside building, and a grand reopening ceremony is scheduled for this Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Shawnee YMCA took heavy damage that night and also was closed nearly a year for repairs. The YMCA just celebrated its grand reopening with a community celebration on April 6 for most of that facility; the pool should be ready by this summer.
Other places around Shawnee have still yet to reopen, including the Homeland grocery store on Kickapoo and Independence.
Colonial Estates Nursing and Rehabilitation Center at Federal and Kickapoo was heavily damaged that night. All nursing home residents were moved from their rooms to shelter in the hallways as the storm passed. Thanks to staff there, no injuries were reported, but many halls of the facility and numerous rooms were left with no roof or extensive damage from the tornado, prompting all residents to be evacuated to other facilities during the overnight hours after the storm.
Over the past year, extensive repairs have been ongoing there. New windows are in place and work is progressing, but large dumpsters remained on site Wednesday. Official word on a reopening date to welcome residents back is awaited.
Some businesses had to close temporarily, or in some cases, relocate. In the case of Eric’s Pharmacy along Kickapoo, the business moved and reopened in another location for operations, with repairs now complete at the original building and the pharmacy back open on Kickapoo.
Shawnee Public Schools also sustained tornado damage throughout the district, with the majority of it at Shawnee High School, where the bus transportation building, and many structures, including the Stucker Complex, were destroyed and had to be razed. Shawnee Public Schools estimates about $30 million in tornado damage from that night. The district has made many repairs already, but will undergo even more extensive repairs and reconstruction of buildings going forward. Along with tornado damage repairs, voters recently passed a bond issue to allow for even more improvements in the district.
The campus of OBU, including the historic Shawnee Hall and Raley Chapel, also sustained heavy damage as many buildings throughout campus were also impact, so there have been continue repairs ongoing there over the past year as well.
City of Shawnee efforts will be continuing for quite some as the city of Shawnee is in the progress of replacing numerous traffic lights and signals in tornado-impacted areas. Temporary traffic signals still remain in place in some intersections until permanent ones can be installed. There are also plans to rebuild the Shawnee Regional Airport terminal, which was damaged beyond repair by the April 19 storm.
More repairs and recovery efforts will continue all around Shawnee. Watch for progress updates in future editions.
