The following is an email that I sent to all Midwest City, Oklahoma, City Commissioners, the Mayor, City Manager, and Assistant City Managers after I several of us were kicked out a storm shelter during last night's tornadoes, due to a lack of room. Thus far, I haven't received an answer. I'm hoping for a response soon. I'll keep you updated:
To Whom it May Concern:
For the past two and a half years, I’ve lived in Midwest City. When I moved here as a young professional, I did so against the advice of many friends who’ve lived in the greater Oklahoma City metro area for several years. Numerous people told me Midwest City was not safe, clean, or well-governed. I believed them to be wrong and have proven them wrong; I’ve enjoyed nearly everything about Midwest City…until last night.
Beginning Monday, central Oklahoma was warned about the possibility for dangerous weather. We were encouraged, even by the City of Midwest City’s official Twitter account, to have a plan in place, should dangerous weather occur. So, I set about developing my safety plan.
I learned that Midwest City provides three public shelters, so I called the City’s switchboard for more information. When I asked if I could bring my small, calm, vaccinated, dog in a crate, I was told, unequivocally, no – but more on that in a minute. I decided I’d leave my dog in the closet and seek shelter at City Hall, should the need arise.
With a plan firmly in place, once the sirens began to sound last night, I left my house and headed for City Hall, upset over leaving my pet, but reassured by the fact that I’d be safe. I got to City Hall and saw numerous people flocking in the door, many with pets. I joined the line and went inside. There was a major jam of people, so I couldn’t get down the stairs, but from my vantage point, I could see that people could easily make more room in the basement by crowding together. About 20 of us stood in the hallway upstairs, away from glass, figuring that was better than going back to our cars.
You can imagine my complete and total shock when we were told, even while Tinker’s sirens were sounding and meteorologists were warning people to take cover, that we had to leave! We were told, in no uncertain terms, by a City of Midwest City official employee (wearing an official polo-style shirt with, I believe, an Emergency Management logo) that we were not allowed to stay. When I questioned him, he told me he “didn’t care” where I went, but there wasn’t room for us at City Hall – when, quite obviously, the people downstairs could have moved closer and provided more room.
Luckily, I knew there was an additional shelter at the Reed Center, but, let me tell you, that’s not too much comfort when the sirens are sounding and you’re driving through pouring rain, all because someone “didn’t care”. Obviously, I, along with several other people, arrived at the Reed Center and was safe, but that doesn’t change the treatment that we received.
Are your Emergency Management employees truly that poorly prepared? Do they need to watch videos and review the stories of people from Joplin who were killed while in their vehicles? Or, to bring it even more closely to home, stories of those who died yesterday while driving down I-40 in the storm? Do they need to be taught that a vehicle is one of the most dangerous places a person can be during a tornado?
I would like to commend the staff at the Reed Center, as they were obviously well-prepared, kind, and caring. It was an orderly scene, with workers helping those with pets, children, the disabled, and the elderly. We were kept updated and everything ran very smoothly. When more people needed shelter, we were told to move closer to each other and make room for them. To the best of my knowledge, NO ONE was turned away. The Reed Center DEFINITELY needs to be used as an example for other tornado shelters.
Quite frankly, though, this entire situation has me re-evaluating my decision to live in Midwest City. Perhaps I’ll heed the advice of my friends and move to Oklahoma City or even Edmond, where they truly seem to care about the safety of their residents.
I hope you’ll take this email to heart and implement some much-needed training for your employees. There need to be policies and procedures implemented, including one for pets. Otherwise, I’m awfully afraid that there could be storm-related injuries or fatalities in the future, if this treatment and attitude continues.
Midwest City, I’m disappointed in you.
