Claremore Storm Clean-Up Underway

<p>City of Claremore utility crews worked around the clock to get the lights and air conditioning back on for thousands of people, but clean-up for a lot of folks will take a bit longer.</p>

Friday, August 26th 2016, 1:44 pm

By: Amy Slanchik

City of Claremore utility crews worked around the clock to get the lights and air conditioning back on for thousands of people, but clean-up for a lot of folks will take a bit longer.

Snapped tree limbs are scattered across neighborhoods in Claremore - but it's the structural damage many people are focused on right now.

High winds blew part of the roof off New Hope Church of God Thursday night. No one was inside.

"Makes everybody realize that what we have is pretty precious," Mark Tincher, Pastor of the New Hope Church of God.

Now, Pastor Tincher walks the soaked hallways of the youth area to look at the damage.

"We'll just have to be somewhere else on Sunday morning - but they won't - it's gonna work out fine," said Mark Tincher.

Tincher says even though part of the roof is on the ground, the storm didn't impact the main sanctuary.

Not far from the church, Claremore Hillcrest Hospital is dealing with damage too, after high winds blew a small vent open, allowing rain to come inside.

The hospital operated on an emergency generator for about an hour and all patients in the emergency room and those with complex medical needs were taken to a Tulsa hospital.

"In this case, we probably didn't have to but we just felt like it was the right thing to do for patients," said David Chaussard, CEO of Hillcrest Hospital.

Both the hospital and the church are not sure how long repairs will take and how much everything will cost, but Pastor Tincher knows he'll have services as planned on Sunday.

"Keep us in your prayers, I guess. Again, we're blessed and fortunate no one was hurt. We're just, we feel we got some work to do but other than that I think sometimes these situations kinda draw people together," said Pastor Mark Tincher

Right after the storm, the city reported 4,000 customers without power.

The Claremore Police Department says it had no reports of injuries from Thursday evening's storm.

Amy Slanchik

Amy Slanchik is passionate about storytelling. She joined the News On 6 team in May of 2016 after spending almost two years in Fort Smith, Ark. She is a proud University of Oklahoma graduate.