'Shock And Devastation': Family Sifting Through Remains Of Home In Sulphur

As Sulphur residents continue to band together following a deadly tornado that wiped out most of the city's downtown, one woman is sifting through what remains of her family's home.

Stephanie Derby and her family live in Oklahoma City, but they spent Tuesday afternoon salvaging pieces of their lives from her mother's home in Sulphur.

On Saturday, Derby said she and her family watched the Oklahoma City Thunder game against New Orleans and went to bed, only learning the next morning that her mother’s home in Sulphur had been destroyed.

“Immediate shock and devastation and immediately started crying,” Derby said.

Luckily, Stephanie said her mother had already been in the hospital and wasn’t inside her bedroom when the tornado tore off her mother’s roof.

“It’s like a warzone hit it," Derby said. "There’s debris all over the walls, there are shingles stuck to the walls."

“Our family home is just gone," Derby’s daughter McKenzie said. "This is where we grew up half the time and it’s gone."

Derby said she arrived Sunday to her mother’s home to sift through rubble in search of keepsakes. 

“My dad passed away a year ago," Derby said. "His ashes were still in the house."

The night of the tornado, her family had intended to stay the night at her mother’s home, but decided against making the trip.

“There’s nothing short of a miracle that transpired by keeping us safe,” Paul Caraway, Derby's boyfriend said. 

The family said despite the amount of devastation and cleanup that lies ahead, they’re confident while working side-by-side, that the town will rebuild.

“The next morning [after the storm], there’s probably a crew of ten people if not more with chainsaw and trucks,” Derby said. 

A curfew is in place until 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday, which applies to downtown and eastern Sulphur in an effort to prevent looting.