‘It’s a sign of hope’: Enid issues first rebuild permit five months after EF-4 tornado
By Patrick Talbot
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ENID, Okla. (KOCO) — Five months after an EF-4 tornado destroyed homes and left Enid with a massive cleanup, the city has issued its first rebuild permit for the Gray Ridge neighborhood.
Angie Blevins, a general contractor for Blevins and Co., is helping rebuild a home for a family affected by the tornado.
“Part of what happened with the permit, why we made the post, is it’s a sign of hope. It’s a sign of, OK, here, this is going to be OK. It brought life back to the community in a positive way of we’re moving forward,” Blevins said.
She explained that the process to reach this point has taken five months, beginning with homeowners trying to figure out their next steps after losing almost everything.
“They’re like, where do we even go from here? What do we even do? A lot of it was just sitting and listening, you know, that was early on. You know, and we started building, you know what? What do you want in your home? What do you see? How do you see your home looking like and those type of things?” Blevins said.
The city of Enid has worked to help homeowners save their insurance money for rebuilding efforts.
“One of the reasons it took a while to actually get permits was the city went ahead and worked with one of our local businesses to actually take out all the concrete footings that were in there so that the people that own those properties didn’t have to use any of their insurance money towards that, and they could put it towards building,” Mayor David Mason said.
Mason added that more permits are expected to be issued soon.
“So, we’re excited. It’s starting to happen now, and we need the housing. We need places for people to go. So, we’re excited about it,” Mason said.
The tornado’s destruction prompted an outpouring of support from churches, businesses, Vance Air Force Base and people across the state. Mason said that 41 counties responded to calls for help in the aftermath.
“Now, five months later, that same community spirit is helping Enid move forward,” Mason said. “When you live out rural Oklahoma, you take care of your neighbors, and that’s what we did. That’s what we’ll do in the future.”
The goal is to transform the empty lots back into homes. Both Blevins and Mason said they were optimistic about the future of the area.
“This will be a wonderful place again, and not just because of the houses, but because of the families that want to live here,” Mason said.
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