In Wake of Tornado, Woodbury Man Talks About Experiences in Oklahoma

Brett LaBare lived in Oklahoma for more than six years before moving to Woodbury about a year and a half ago.

Two of his friends live in Moore, Okla., where a massive tornado hit Monday, leaving at least 24 people dead and ravaging homes and schools in the Oklahoma City suburb.

“Basically, both of their houses were destroyed,” he said. “Everyone’s safe, thank God, but some other people weren’t so lucky.”

Cell phone communication has been reduced to text messaging, LaBare said, and he has been communicating with his friends primarily via Facebook.

The city of Edmond, Okla., where LaBare used to live, was actually hit by a tornado Sunday. When he first moved to Oklahoma, his grandparents bought him an underground shelter as a housewarming gift.

Severe spring weather comes with the territory in Oklahoma, and schools and businesses conduct emergency drills each year, said LaBare, 33.

“You almost get numb to it down there,” he said.

The latest tornado flattened homes and schools and injured at least 145 people, according to the New York Times.

“Numerous neighborhoods were completely leveled,” Sgt. Gary Knight of the Oklahoma City Police Department told the newspaper. “Neighborhoods just wiped clean.”

LaBare said he’s always been fascinated by severe weather and considered going to college to be a meteorologist (he's now in IT). He said he used to chase storms in Oklahoma, but the tornados he saw were confined to open spaces and didn’t impact urban areas.

“I saw a few (tornados),” LaBare said. “But nothing this big.”

He said he has already donated to tornado-relief efforts via the Red Cross hotline.

“Hopefully, everybody can donate what they can,” LaBare said. “There’s multi-millions in damages.”

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