Father-son duo helps with cleanup after storms damage downtown McAlester building

Storms that swept through southeastern Oklahoma this weekend left a trail of destruction in McAlester's downtown area.

A Stormy Morning

An empty building on Choctaw Avenue in downtown McAlester is left battered by Saturday’s strong winds and heavy rain.

"It looked like the front of that building had just exploded out," said Randy Hass.

Helping Hands

Randy Hass owns a local construction company and is helping with the cleanup.

"I came down here and realized it was not a one-man job, so I called my son, and I was like 'I need you down here now,'" he said. 

He brought out his dump truck and skid steer to haul bricks and debris from the building to clear it from the streets. Randy and his 15-year-old son, Lane, worked on the building downtown until dark Sunday.

Next Steps

The city hopes to fully clear out the building and road before McAlester's Dancing Rabbit Musical Festival on June 14. It’s up to the building’s owner and insurance company to decide what’s next for it.