Tulsa World journalist becomes part of storm's destructive story
By MICHAEL OVERALL World Staff Writer on Jul 25, 2013, at 2:32 AM Updated on 7/25/13 at 7:19 AM
Tulsa World Photo Editor Christopher Smith stands in his attic Wednesday and surveys the damage caused by a tree that fell through his roof, causing extensive damage to his Tulsa home. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World
Local
For more than a generation, this rural community has been haunted by a mystery: What happened to a group of teens who disappeared in the early 1970s after heading to a high school football game?
Jimmy Nazario Jr. was scheduled for trial on a second-degree murder charge in October — but defense attorney Kenneth Rhoads was killed in a motorcycle accident in July.
CONTACT THE REPORTER
918-581-8383
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The baby woke up. The TV flickered. And Christopher Smith peeked out the front door to check the weather.
"I saw stuff blowing through the neighborhood and realized it was a lot more serious than I thought," he said.
He had just turned around to start getting his family together when the whole house shook Tuesday night.
Assessing the damage from Tulsa World on Vimeo.
"It was a huge boom," he said, "and I wasn't sure what was happening."
The ceiling cracked, and rain flooded in - "like a bathtub faucet," Smith said.
His wife and children, an 18-month-old girl and 4-year-old boy, huddled in the hallway, not sure whether the danger had passed.
"I've covered a lot of disasters - I couldn't tell you how many," said Smith, the photo editor at the Tulsa World. "It does put things in perspective."
With 60-to-80-mph winds ripping through midtown Tulsa, a giant tree snapped in two and smashed through his roof into the attic.
The chimney collapsed. Rafters broke apart. And parts of the floor buckled.
"They're going to need a crane to get the tree off the roof," said Smith, whose family will move in with relatives for an extended period while the home is repaired. "And they're going to have to rip out walls and redo the floors and everything."
But he's covered tornadoes. Wildfires. Multiple fatalities.
"It could be a lot worse," he says. "Compared to a lot of people, this isn't so bad."
Michael Overall 918-581-8383
michael.overall@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Journalist is part of storm's story
Local
For more than a generation, this rural community has been haunted by a mystery: What happened to a group of teens who disappeared in the early 1970s after heading to a high school football game?
Jimmy Nazario Jr. was scheduled for trial on a second-degree murder charge in October — but defense attorney Kenneth Rhoads was killed in a motorcycle accident in July.
CONTACT THE REPORTER
918-581-8383
Email
