Chickasaw Nation to help rebuild Sulphur, Marietta after devastating tornados

SULPHUR, Okla. (KFOR) - The Chickasaw Nation is stepping up to help two Oklahoma towns devastated by storms in recent months.

They’ve started a fundraising initiative to help rebuild and bolster economic recovery.

"It's something you see on TV,” Sulphur City Manager Andy Freeman said dauntingly describing the damage the April tornado left behind.

Since the storms in late April, Freeman said the help has been humbling.

"You walk into the expo that people were going to get sent out for jobs, and there's 400 people that you've never seen before from out of state, out of town,” he said.

Now, more help is on the way.

"We've got an opportunity here to restore what was what was lost, yeah, it feels good," Chickasaw Nation Secretary of State Bill Lance said.

The Nation announced a the new fundraising initiative to help rebuild Sulphur and Marietta.

“This effort will be led by the community,” Lance said. “It's for the community and the Chickasaw Nation is just a part of this community."

Lance is the chair of the “Business Rebuild and Recovery” campaign. The fundraising goal is $6 million and the nation has already put $1 million toward that goal.

"There's a lot of people downtown that they didn't have insurance or they don't have the money to build back in this month,” Freeman said. "This might give them that leg up to help them do that."

A big goal in Sulphur is to preserve the concept and nature of their historic downtown facades and buildings by consulting with architects and property owners. In Marietta, they’re working to set up temporary emergency health facilities and restore local food supply chains to restore goods and services. It’s a rebuild that will take time, but with help that goes a long way.

"We've been very blessed,” Freeman said. “We will come back from it."

A grant program will be established and overseen by the nonprofit Chickasaw Foundation. They’ll be covering all administrative costs of the fund and apply them to grants. They’re planning to release more information on program eligibility and the application process soon, but for now people can contribute or get more information by contacting the Chickasaw Foundation at (580) 421-9030 or by email at ChickasawFoundation@Chickasaw.net.