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Tornado-ravaged Oklahoma businesses hope to reopen

Loves Travel Stops hopes to rebuild a store along Interstate 40 that was destroyed by a tornado on Monday and is finding new positions for about two dozen displaced workers.

 
BY SUSAN SIMPSON | Published: May 12, 2010   

Love’s Travel Stops hopes to rebuild a store along Interstate 40 that was destroyed by a tornado on Monday and is finding new positions for about two dozen of its workers who were displaced.

photo - Tornado damage is seen Monday near Interstate 40 and Choctaw Road. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman
Tornado damage is seen Monday near Interstate 40 and Choctaw Road. Photo by Chris Landsberger, The Oklahoman

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Oklahoma officials address tornado cleanup efforts

May 11Authorities address assessments of damage done by the May...

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Love's Country Store damage addressed

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Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, urged business owners to contact the Small Business Administration if they need help recovering from tornado damage.

During a news conference in front of the damaged Love’s Travel Stop, Fallin said she had heard of several business that won’t be collecting revenue for a while and that many people may be without jobs.

The Small Business Administration can help with business interruption services, Fallin said.

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The remains of the 5,000-square-foot Love’s Travel Stop at Interstate 40 and Choctaw Road will be demolished while the company looks into the possibility of rebuilding, said Jenny Love Meyer, director of communications for the Oklahoma City-based chain. A highway expansion project planned for 2012 at the interchange may determine whether Love’s can rebuild on the same site.

"The store is a total loss at this point,” she said. "There’s lots of damage.”

Employees are being offered jobs at other travel stops in the metro area, she said.

Store employees and dozens of customers huddled in bathrooms and a beverage cooler when the tornado struck. There were no serious injuries, but the store was left in ruins, with collapsed walls and no roof.

Gas and diesel from storage tanks under the store were pumped into tankers on Tuesday as the site was secured.

The store was built in 1986 and was a popular stop for truckers and local customers.

Meyer didn’t have a damage estimate but said the loss is "well into the six figures.”

Across the highway, a Sonic Drive-In also sustained tornado damage and will be closed for several weeks for repairs, said spokeswoman Nancy Robertson. Four employees and one customer took shelter in the building.

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