TULSA, Oklahoma – Months after a tornado ripped through Mayes County, a team of volunteers is being honored.

An all-women team of Wagoner County Emergency Management volunteers were among the first to respond to Pryor.

Kay Meredith is one of them.

KJRH

“We didn’t even think about it, we packed everything up and left,” Meredith said. “Let’s just go ahead and take care of these people, get them what they need, and then we can regroup and see what else needs to be done.”

She has been devoting her time to WCEM for several years, but has always worked on the scheduling side.

When the call came sometime after midnight telling her to go to Pryor, Meredith didn’t hesitate.
“Tornadoes, of course, come at the worst possible time. I mean, it’s dark, you have no idea, they were caught off guard, they had no idea. They have nothing, their cars are stuck in trees and they don’t know where their children are. As a mother, I would be scared too, but I want someone to take the initiative and come out and help me too.”

It wasn’t intentional that the response team be all women. Meredith said it just happened that way.

But neither she nor her teammates are aware of the importance of their representation.

“It doesn’t matter what gender you are or what you do in life. For example, you could be a teacher and still do this,” Meredith said. “You don’t have to sit on the sidelines, you can go out and take the initiative to do something like this and change someone’s life.”

Meredith and the team spent five grueling hours in the dark of night in Pryor clearing the streets and searching for missing people.

But they remained focused on why they were there and kept going.

“Someone is having a hard time with their worst day. And that’s what you’re all about: making the day better.”

Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere –