Gov. Mary Fallin is seeking a federal disaster declaration for Atoka County in the wake of a deadly tornado that swept through the southeastern Oklahoma town of Tushka.
Two people were killed and 43 others were injured when the tornado struck the town on April 14. Preliminary damage assessments indicate the storm destroyed 149 homes and businesses and damaged others in the county.
A disaster declaration would provide assistance for housing repairs or temporary housing, U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans to repair or replace damaged property, disaster unemployment assistance and grants for disaster expenses not met by other programs.
The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management is performing damage surveys on public buildings and other infrastructure to determine if federal public assistance would benefit municipalities, school districts, counties and the state.
Classes are out all week at Tushka High School, which was damaged by the tornado, but they should resume next Monday.
Principal Matt Simpson said tentative plans call for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade to attend classes in local church buildings. He says the district’s high school students likely will attend classes at the Kiamichi Technology Center campus in nearby Atoka.
Because students will be out of classes for six days before school resumes, Simpson says it’s likely the last day of school, now scheduled for May 20, will be pushed back.
The tornado that hit Tushka on April 14 was rated on the Enhanced Fujita scale as an EF-3, packing winds of between 136 mph and 165 mph.
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