Over the weekend of April 27, 2024, 35 tornadoes touched down across Oklahoma. The most severe storms hit the southern region in cities less than an hour apart. An EF-4 tornado struck near I-35 in Marietta, while two EF-3 tornadoes damaged homes and businesses in Sulphur, including its downtown. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation sent crews statewide to close roads due to power lines and flooding, redirect traffic, repair signs and infrastructure, and clear debris. Oklahoma DOT’s response, costing $147,275, helped quickly restore safe travel. An additional 75 employees and more heavy equipment were sent to support District 7 crews already in place. While in the short-term restoring travel is essential to a community’s safety and path forward, in the long-term, Oklahoma DOT’s storm response offers minor economic benefits to the City of Sulphur and those who lost everything. By restoring travel in a short amount of time, the city could begin assessing community needs along with the planning of rebuilding efforts.
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