Those With Jobs In Barnsdall Unsure What The Future Of Their Employment Looks Like

Two buildings that employ dozens of people in Barnsdall were damaged by an EF-4 tornado on May 6th, 2024.

“This was a small home that everybody was family," said nursing home director Jana Hardiman. 

Salvaging memories was all those who work at the Barnsdall Nursing home could do after much of the building was damaged by a tornado. 

“I’m very thankful for all of our staff here. They’ve been amazing and all of the outpour of everybody in the city to come and offer help," said Hardiman. 

She's worked at the facility for a year and a half.

“It was the best move I ever made, this is one of the best facilities I’ve been in," she said.

She said seeing what was left of the nursing home was a shock, but she was grateful all the workers and residents were able to get out in time.

"it made me very thankful we had no injuries,” Hardman said.

She wasn't the only one whose job was impacted by the tornado. The oil refinery in town also took a hit.

“Don’t know that much right now, hopefully we will build back and hopefully maybe be better than we were before," said one employee, Zane Shores. 

Shores has worked at the NuCera plant in Barnsdall for 25 years. He said it played a big role in the little town.

“It’s raised a lot of families, a lot of retirees, hundreds of retirees from around the areas have retired from there,” he said.

While neither Shores nor Hardiman knew what the future of their workplaces would hold, they continued their clean-up efforts in town and remained optimistic.

“I know I hope that we can rebuild and bring everybody home again," said Hardiman. 

Although Zane wasn't able to work, he said the plant said it will take care of its employees until they can get back to work. Jana said she would be on the job hunt if they were unable to rebuild the nursing home.