Staff members of Barnsdall Nursing Home were quick to jump into action during a tornado that damaged their Barnsdall, OK, long-term care facility Monday night and forced a full evacuation in the aftermath. The five on-duty employees were able to successfully keep all 25 residents safe throughout the storm damage and flooding that left at least one dead and one missing in the rural community.
When emergency warnings hit, employees moved quickly to get residents awake, out of their rooms and taking shelter in the building’s interior hallways. Preparing to take shelter was especially challenging since they also needed to make sure residents were dressed appropriately and had shoes and blankets to keep warm and dry.
“It’s not just getting them out of bed and putting them into the hallway; we had to make sure everyone had a blanket… when it’s cold, got to have something to put over their head. Just thinking of every little thing,” Jenny Williams, one of the staff on-duty that night, told News on 6.
Nursing homes often face criticism and concern from regulators due to the difficulties they face in implementing effective emergency preparedness plans. The Barnsdall evacuation, successful as it was, shows the challenges that naturally arise from helping residents with complex medical needs and physical difficulties take shelter on short notice.
The EF3 tornado — with gusts of wind between 136 and 165 miles per hour — passed through the small Oklahoma town Monday night — one of several to touch down in the state that day. While all residents of the nursing home were safe, the building itself sustained serious damage.
Workers described hearing trees falling outside, windows shattering and doors bursting open in the gust of wind. The facility’s roof was so heavily damaged that rain began pouring in from the ceiling and flooding the hallway where the residents initially took shelter. They had to be moved to a new location in the building.
After the storm, all 25 residents had to be evacuated to other nursing homes nearby. Employees were still working to secure their possessions as of publication time.
Tornadoes struck Oklahoma and nearby states each day between May 6 and May 9. The one at Barnsdall was among the largest in the storm system and damaged or destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in the community.
