Storm victims, state leaders upset over delay in emergency declaration, absence of governor

TULSA, Okla. — Some storm victims and state leaders say they’re upset about how long it took the state to declare an emergency after Sunday’s destructive storm that tore up much of Tulsa, and wish the Governor could have done more while traveling overseas.

Sunday morning brought an early wake-up call for Bethany Willard and her family at their home in far-east Tulsa.”At about 1:30 in the morning we hear this loud crash,” Willard said.

They thought their house survived the storm unscathed, come to find out a large hole had formed in their roof, allowing water to pool on their kitchen ceiling.

Now over three days later, they’re still cleaning up.

“You can see remnants of the ceiling in our couch,” she said.

Her power came back on, but she was still trying to make sense of everything that happened.

“I’ve lived here my entire life and this is the worst thing I’ve been through,” she said.

She says she’s also trying to make sense of why it took the state over two days to declare a state of emergency. After all, doing so would help ease regulations on shipping emergency goods, allow government agencies to authorize funds for repairs, and expedite power restoration for people like her elderly parents.

“I think that’s what bothers me the most is that my parents and other elderly out there are probably suffering as well,” Willard said.

Ordinarily, it’s the responsibility of the governor to sign an emergency declaration. But as it turns out, Governor Stitt is currently out of the country, attending the Paris Air Show in France for a state economic development trip.

State law says the governor cannot take any actions like signing an emergency declaration if they are not physically in the state. That meant the responsibility to do so would fall to Lieutenant Governor Matt Pinnell.

But FOX23 learned Pinnell also left the state, in his case, to go to a pre-scheduled Lieutenant Governors’ conference in Georgia. That left Oklahoma Senate President Pro-Tempore Greg Treat in charge as acting governor.

The problem is, Treat said Tuesday nobody, not Stitt, Pinnell, or their offices, informed him both men were out of state and that he had become acting governor until Tuesday afternoon.

Treat said, within the hour of learning that, he went to the capitol and signed the declaration.

It was only once the declaration was signed that Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond says his office was allowed to enact certain protections against things like price gouging and storm repair-related scams.

“As a result of this declaration of emergency, Oklahoma can act proactively to protect consumers instead of simply waiting for them to be scammed by unscrupulous actors,” Drummond said in a statement Tuesday. “I greatly appreciate the leadership of Acting Gov. Treat, coordinating with the professional staff members of the Governor’s office, to ensure Oklahoma consumers receive the greatest possible protection.”

Drummond said he wants to see lawmakers find a way to improve communication or change the rules on when top state leaders can be out of the state.

“There is no requirement for the Governor to notify the Lieutenant Governor when traveling out of the state. There is similarly not a requirement for the Lieutenant Governor to notify the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, or on down the line of succession,” Drummond said. “We have seen the unnecessary delay and confusion this creates, all at the expense of Oklahomans struggling to cope with emergency circumstances. I hope the governor and legislature will work to ensure Oklahoma families and businesses don’t experience similar delays when future disaster strikes.”

Governor Stitt Put out a statement on Tuesday claiming he had called on Sen. Treat to sign the emergency declaration,” but Treat says Governor Stitt never contacted him before signing the declaration.

Stitt also wrote he is staying in contact with state emergency officials from abroad.

“The state, including the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, continues to be responsive through emergency declarations, waivers, and requests to impacted areas to restore power, protect critical infrastructure, and get Oklahomans the resources they need during these trying times,” Stitt’s statement said.

The statement is a response that Willard says is just not enough for her.

“Must be nice. I mean I’m sure y’all have your feet in the sand in France or wherever,” Willard said. “While we’re all suffering here in Oklahoma.”