MOORE, Okla. The branch manager who led more than 20 people to safety inside the vault of the now destroyed branch of Tinker FCU here said the noise from the tornadoes was overwhelming, as were the painful air pressure changes.
AVP and Branch Manager Janita Davis told Credit Union Journal that the 45 minutes or so that she, branch employees, members and passerby spent inside the 16x30-foot space were very difficult, with three men joining her in fighting to hold the vault door closed.
“It was frightening and that does not describe what we went through,” shared Davis. “The storm was pulling, trying to get our door open. We had tied a belt from someone’s pants around the door latch, but the belt broke. I don’t know what held that door shut. Maybe the grace of God.”
Davis did her best to keep everyone calm.
“I kept assuring everyone we’d be OK. We had a boy crying, employees were crying and praying, and the change in air pressure was unbearable,” said Davis. “Take the pressure you feel in your ears and head when you descend in an airplane and multiply that 100 times. It felt like our heads were going to explode.”
She said she was not surprised at what the group saw when they finally forced the door open. “We walked out and I saw what I expected to see total devastation. Even though I knew what to expect it is a sight that will stay with me the rest of my life.”
Davis and one staff member were working yesterday at Tinker FCU’s Midwest City office, 10 minutes from Moore. She said they were counting the money from the vault, assembling safe deposit boxes, and making sure members get the support they need.
