Manufactured Home Dealers Avoid Tornado Devastation in Moore, Oklahoma
On May 20, 2013, an E-5 tornado devastated the town of Moore, Oklahoma. An E-5 tornado is the highest possible rating for a tornado with sustained winds of 215 miles per hour. The funnel of this tornado was approximately one mile wide with the overall storm nine miles in width. The ferocity of the storm totally devastated over 1300 homes and numerous businesses in this bustling suburb of Oklahoma City. Two dozen people lost their lives including several children, as 2 elementary schools were directly in the path of the storm.
You might be wondering why I am writing about this storm and what is the connection with manufactured homes? There are two reasons that are of personal concern to me. I lived for 2 years in Norman, Oklahoma, which is adjacent to the City of Moore. The second reason for my concern is that my son, Brian Nelms, had recently relocated to the area from Texas to accept a position as General Manager for Maxey’s Mobile Home Sales in south Oklahoma City, an Oklahoma City Manufactured Home Dealer just a couple of miles north of the area where the tornado struck in Moore.
In my travels in connection with the manufactured housing industry I have lived in several locations throughout the country. I have many fond memories of Oklahoma and in particular the people of Norman and Moore, Oklahoma. The citizens of Oklahoma are some of the most caring and compassionate people I have ever known. They are never pretentious and are always genuinely interested in the health and welfare of neighbors, relatives, and friends, and strangers. In times of crisis, they tend to band together to be of service to fellow beings. It seems that the only common enemy of the people of Oklahoma are the tornadoes that they must endure that are so prevalent in this part of the country. Those that have storm shelters at their homes always are willing to share those storm cellars with those that do own or cannot afford one these expensive protective bunkers.
I just returned today, 6/13/213, from a quick trip to Oklahoma from our home in Southern California. My son, Brian, gave my wife and myself a tour of the devastation and carnage that was heaped upon the town of Moore. I also visited my former neighborhood which I found to be intact and my former neighbors and friends to have escaped the storm unscathed.
My son was living temporarily residing in a hotel a few 100 yards from the storm devastation area in Moore while arranging the relocation of his family from Texas. As the storm was approaching he left his hotel and took refuge in the Warren movie theater nearby. The Warren theater is a well built marble complex that had survived previous tornadoes that struck the area over the past years and was well known as a safe shelter from these types of storms (although none of the previous storms were of this magnitude).
Brian was one of about two hundred people in the Warren Theatre who rode out the storm that passed within 200 yards of the movie theater. After the storm had passed through, many of those patrons of the theatre, including Brian, rushed to the area across the parking lot to assist victims of the Moore General Hospital which was almost completely demolished by the tornado. The large two-story hospital was reduced to one story as a result of the effects of the storm. Miraculously there were no lives lost at this site. Brian’s only loss was his automobile in the theatre parking lot.
The manufactured homes dealer display centers in Oklahoma City are located on one street, Shields Boulevard, where there are 10 to 12 display centers representing most every make and models of manufactured homes that are available. All of these companies have great reputations for customer service and and are involved with the restoration of the Moore community. All of these display centers escaped the devastation of the tornado with little or no damage.
There is one manufactured home retailer that has been in business for many years and is one of the most respected Oklahoma City manufactured home and modular retailers in the country, Maxey’s Mobile Home Sales. The general manager of that dealership is a 27 year veteran of the manufactured housing industry that is well known for customer service before, during, and after the sale. He is my son, Brian Nelms. If you are in need of replacing your destroyed home quickly and with a quality home, or considering the manufactured home lifestyle, and would prefer purchasing your new home from a respected retailer with a manager that will be concerned with your welfare and satisfaction, I unabashedly would recommend you contact Brian at:
Maxey’s Home Sales
8101 S. Shields Blvd.
Oklahoma City, Okla.73149
Telephone# 405-495-5206
Final Note: I have written several reports on wind safety of manufactured homes since the implementation of wind zone regulations that went into effect in 1980. Wind safety data since that date have shown that manufactured homes will be storm resistant equal, and in many instances superior to site built homes. In the Moore tornado there were numerous manufactured homes that were destroyed. Unfortunately there are not any homes built to sustain winds of 200+ miles per hour wind storms.
