April 19, 2023, is a date many Oklahomans will never forget.

An outbreak of more than a dozen tornadoes tore through several counties, damaging more than 2,000 homes—most of them in Shawnee. The disaster is one of 25 in the U.S. this year to officially cause $1 billion or more in damage.

The Red Cross was on the ground right away. Disaster workers operated three shelters in different counties for displaced residents. Over the course of the relief operation, the Red Cross:

• Served more than 65,000 meals and snacks
• Distributed more than 14,000 emergency supply items like cleanup kits, rakes, shovels, trash bags and gloves
• Assessed damage to homes, classifying 330 as destroyed or with major damage.
• Provided more than 700 clients with recovery services.

The numbers show the scale of the Red Cross’ relief operation, but the people we helped show the impact of it.

TWO TORNADOES AND NOT EVEN 2 YEARS OLD

The week after the tornado, Michael McCray came to a resource center with his 14-month-old son, Colton. Michael got cleanup supplies and information about recovery from the Red Cross. They also talked with Disaster Mental Health volunteer Liz Marmon.

Despite the tornado lifting the roof off their home and rotating it, the McCrays were all OK. Michael said Colton actually slept through the storms—and it wasn’t the first time he’d done so.

“He slept through the Seminole tornado last year,” Michael said.

A CLOSE CALL

Jim Harrison and his 7-year-old pug, Shirley, rode out the storm together in his bed. He said he knew something was coming and got one foot on the floor before sirens started.

“Then I heard that train whistle,” Jim said, describing the sound of the approaching tornado. “It shook the duplex, and I didn’t think we were going to make it.”

Jim got supplies and information from the Red Cross, and disaster worker Sherry Schauer helped Shirley feel at ease. That helped Jim feel more at ease, too.

“IT WAS SO UNEXPECTED”

Scott and Linda Hurley will tell you that their damage wasn't that bad. They had a couple of tarps on their house. Their two-car carport was a twisted pile of metal on their neighbor's property. They could see how much worse the tornado was for their neighbors just across the street.

The Hurleys were saddest about losing so many of the trees that made their house their home for the past eight years. Linda was shaken up each morning seeing so few of them left.

Like many Shawnee residents, the Hurleys went four or five days without power. They didn't leave their home because access to their area was largely cut off and they were waiting for insurance adjusters, contractors and other service providers to come to them. Scott uses a cane.

A lot of disaster workers with various organizations came by the Hurleys' home the day after the tornado, "but there was nobody after that," Linda said—until the Red Cross was, while it was still difficult to get into their neighborhood.

A mobile team delivered supplies and a food box to the Hurleys a week after the tornado hit. The shovel they gave the couple was leaning against the house during our visit, dirt on the blade. The opened food box was on a side table in the living room. Linda said a can of rice and beans in that box became the first hot meal she and Scott had since the tornado hit.

"It wasn't just that they brought us food. They came and said, 'Hey, we recognize you've had damage, and we're sorry,'" Linda said. "It was so unexpected that someone just showed up and said, 'Would you like a hug? We know what you've been through.'"

SUPPORTING A FAMILY OF HELPERS

Volunteers Don Dailey and Cristal Mitchell were delivering supplies to hard-hit neighborhoods in Shawnee when they found 6-year-old Harrison Thralls, his parents and his grandmother picking up the pieces of a destroyed home. Harrison and his parents drove an hour to help cleanup what used to be where his grandmother's brother lived.

Don and Cristal also had a few small toys with them in their response vehicle. After handing out items like tarps and garbage bags to the family, Cristal gave Harrison a small Mickey Mouse plush toy with a Red Cross tag on it. His face lit up as he held it.

Red Cross disaster workers touched hundreds of lives during the April tornado relief operation. This vital work is possible because of the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. This holiday season, consider turning your compassion into action with a gift to the Red Cross. Visit redcross.org/holiday to get started.

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.