A lone recliner on a concrete slab was all that was left of another home.

Ottawa County residents can receive rental assistance and can be reimbursed for the cost of hotels, Craine said. At the relief center, residents also can register with FEMA for assistance and check the status of their applications. The center is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and noon to 6 p.m. Sundays.

FEMA officials want all residents who need help to provide a phone number where they can be reached, a Social Security number and a mailing address, as well as the address of the affected property, a description of the damage and insurance information.

Representatives also are at the center from the Small Business Administration, which offers low-interest recovery loans to homeowners, renters and business owners. The Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency, and other state and federal agencies also were represented at the recovery center when it opened Tuesday.

Larry Eller, community development director for the city of Miami, and Brian Barger, economic development director for Miami, also met Tuesday with victims of the tornado.

Eller said they had taken seven applications from prospective homeowners for a housing project the city has in the works to help victims of last July’s flooding. The city has 17 lots in a subdivision it purchased with grant money, and can offer low-interest loans and down-payment assistance to qualified buyers.

‘Really huge’

Dennis Darnell recalled the May 10 tornado.

“I opened the back door to the carport and saw the funnel coming down the field,” he said.

After taking a couple of photographs of the tornado, Darnell ran to a ditch and hung onto the grass as the funnel passed overhead.

“It was really huge,” he said. “It sounded like a jet plane thrusting its engines.”

The tornado slid his house off the foundation and carried it about 100 feet, prying off the roof.