On Monday, May 20th, a massive, EF5-classified tornado tore through Moore, Okla., a suburb of Oklahoma City, leaving destroyed homes, damaged buildings, death and utter devastation in its path.
One of those damaged buildings included an Anytime Fitness, which indirectly experienced the mile-wide tornado’s destruction. “The tornado actually swung around the gym, and the debris cloud was what did the damage,” explained Reid Bradley, the franchisee owner who operates the gym from Minnesota. According to Bradley, the debris shattered some of his club’s windows, partially destroyed the roof and caused water damage.
Jessica Kinder-Vasquez, the personal training manager of Anytime Fitness in Moore, was inside the gym on Monday when she saw on the news that the tornado was headed her way. “I knew the storm was coming, and I just had a gut feeling my general manager (Erica Jones) and I needed to leave,” recalled Kinder-Vasquez.
After ensuring no members remained in the club, Kinder-Vasquez explained that she and Jones drove to a nearby jewelry store, Lewis Jewelers, and hid in the store’s vault as the tornado rampaged less than a mile away. “It was so frightening,” said Kinder-Vasquez. “Erica and I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Soon after Kinder-Vasquez and Jones had entered the jewelry vault, Kinder-Vasquez said she received a phone call from Blaine Jackson, one of the club’s personal trainers, informing her that Jackson had just made it to Anytime Fitness. “I was worried for him,” said Kinder-Vasquez.
Jackson said he had been worried as well. “When I got to the club nobody was there, so I started watching the news and saw that the tornado was due to hit at any moment,” he recalled. At first, Jackson said he took cover within the club’s bathroom, as there was no basement. “My dad called and told me that if I wanted to leave, I had to do it now,” he recalled.
Deciding it would be safer to get in his car and leave versus staying in the club’s bathroom, Jackson explained that as he left the club, he observed the tornado about half a mile away, and headed in his direction. According to Jackson, the sight was horrifying. “I’d seen tornadoes before, but never that close,” he said. “You could hear it howling like a freight train.”
Jackson said he immediately jumped into his car and headed south, away from the tornado. “It was like a nightmare, seeing a tornado in my rearview mirror,” he said. He drove straight to Norman, a nearby town, where he waited out the storm.
Soon after the tornado had dispersed, Kinder-Vasquez explained that she and Jones drove back to Anytime Fitness to see what damage had been done. Considering the fact that homes behind the club and nearby buildings had been completely destroyed, Kinder-Vasquez said the damage could have been a lot worse. “There are homes behind our Anytime Fitness completely destroyed,” she said.
Now, Bradley said he and his team are focused on reaching out to members and helping the community. “Ninety percent of our members live within a mile and half to two miles from the club,” said Bradley. “We’re calling every single one of them to see how they’re doing and if there’s anything they need. We’re hoping for the best.”
On Saturday, the club will host a gathering for members and any other Moore residents affected by the tornado. Supplies will be dispersed to those in need.
According to Bradley, it’s unclear when the gym will be back up and running. “It’s hard to think about fixing the gym when people’s homes have been completely destroyed,” he said. “We’ll be down for at least a month. Right now, the main thing we’re focusing on is what we can do for the community.”
In the mean time, Bradley explained that membership dues have been frozen until the damage has been repaired and members can access the club.
Despite the devastation in Moore, Kinder-Vasquez said residents are surprisingly upbeat. “The surprising thing to me is that a lot of people who’ve lost everything are in good spirits,” she said. “They’re just happy if their families are okay.”
By Rachel Zabonick
