No storm shelter in Sallisaw
The tornado sirens went off in Sallisaw on Monday night and according to reports, people in Sallisaw were scrambling to find shelter from the storm but the closest facility is located at Central, according to comments heard at the Sequoyah County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
County hires new emergency management director
The tornado sirens went off in Sallisaw on Monday night and according to reports, people in Sallisaw were scrambling to find shelter from the storm but the closest facility is located at Central, according to comments heard at the Sequoyah County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday.
Questions about the location of any storm shelters in Sallisaw were raised by NHS Sequoyah Hospital Administrator Stephanie Six who said people were lined up at the hospital Monday night looking for shelter but the hospital does not have a shelter, Six said.
In related action, commissioners hired a new Emergency Management Director to replace Steve Rutherford, who retired from the position in November, and announced a deputy to assist the director would also be hired at next week’s meeting.
Garrett Fargo of Sallisaw, an experienced firefighter who is state wildland certified with a Red Card (to fight wildland fires) and a certified EMR was hired by the three commissioners as the Sequoyah County Emergency Director on Tuesday. Jonathan Teague, whose background is in education, law enforcement, health and weather, will be included on next week’s agenda to be officially hired as the deputy.
Although the two were not officially employed by the county on Monday night, they said they were busy taking calls and monitoring the weather.
Teague said he has always had a “lifelong obsession” for the weather and developed his own Facebook page dedicated to keeping county residents informed about the local weather. Future plans will be to develop a website which would be easily accessible for residents who want to be prepared for the weather conditions in Sequoyah County, he said.
Teague said having two people who come from diverse directions converging into one area will make the department unique. He said two people, instead of one, can make the department more accessible especially when there might be more than one emergency to tend to at the same time.
“The first thing I plan to do is get with the other agencies and develop some relationships and make this office the best that it can be for the residents of Sequoyah County,” Fargo said. “I’m just excited to be in this position and I look forward to helping people in Sequoyah County.”
Both Fargo and Teague agreed seeking grants to one day, have storm shelters in Sallisaw and possibly in other areas of the county, will be a priority.
“That was one of the questions I addressed when I interviewed for the job. I believe the commissioners are serious about storm shelters and we plan to look at all grants which might be available, not just for storm shelters but anything that would be beneficial to the county,” Teague said.
“I think the commissioners did a fantastic job in hiring two people for the emergency management department and I’m speaking as a citizen of Sequoyah County,” he said.
“We’re just excited to have them,” Jim Rogers, District 3 Commissioner, said.
“They both bring a lot of energy and ideas to the table. The most impressive thing about them is they said they not only want to be the best emergency management office in Sequoyah County but also in the state. That says a lot.”
Rogers said there were several good candidates interviewed for the job but in the end, the commissioners decided to hire Fargo and Teague for the position mainly because of the ideas they have and the “many hats” they may have to wear due to the diversity of needs for the department.
In October, Sallisaw residents turned down a $3.5 million bond election which would have paid for half of the four storm shelters at each of the Sallisaw schools. FEMA would have paid for the other half. The shelters, which would have been located at Sallisaw’s Liberty, Eastside, Middle schools and the high school would have not only provided shelter for the students but also for residents seeking shelter. The bond issue was also defeated in March of 2021.
According to information from the National Weather Service, prior to this weekend (if confirmed), the earliest reported tornadoes have been: Jan. 2, 2013 — Possible tornado (to be confirmed) northwest of Sallisaw near McKey Jan. 22, 1957 — F4 at Gans (10 killed, 20 injured) Jan. 29, 2013 — EF2 northwest of Short (no casualties) Feb. 20, 1976 — F2 near Sallisaw (no casualties) Feb. 26, 1958 — F0 near Moffett (no casualties).
