Bank vault saves 24 lives, MOORE, OK - The Tinker Federal Credit Union branch in Moore, OK, was
demolished by the EF-5 tornado that decimated the city, but 22 people
who took shelter in the facility's vault survived the storm and emerged
safely.
The 14 employees and eight customers rode out the storm in the vault,
which was the only part of the roughly 6,400-square-foot building that
remained intact. First responders quickly arrived at the scene and
removed debris that blocked the door, freeing the survivors who had
spent a loud, terrifying several minutes inside the concrete-and-steel
structure.
The employees and customers eventually found their way home, though
their cars were smashed in the adjacent parking lot, a TFCU official
told Credit Union Times.
The branch manager stayed on-site until the vault could be locked and
secured - all the safety deposit boxes survived intact and the vault is
under round-the-clock guard said Matt Stratton, the company's vice
president of marketing.
TFCU wants to rebuild on the same site, he said.
All the employees of the branch are safe, according to the company's
Facebook page, but 26 of their homes were damaged and four were
completely destroyed. The storm did at least $1 billion worth of damage
and 24 people have been confirmed killed.
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Source : http://www.wafb.com/story/22397063/bank-vault-shelters-22-survivors-of-moore-ok-tornado
