After the Storm: How Ada United to Help Main Street Rebuild
May 22, 2025 by Daniel Castaneda
By: Sunnie Dawn Baker
In the early hours of March 4th, a tornado flung the citizens of Ada, Oklahoma into chaos as the wind howled and the rain poured, the power flickered and everything went black. As people emerged from their shelters, they scrambled to make sure their loved ones were okay and, then, to survey any damages to their property. As the sun began to rise, pictures flooded social media of twisted metal, missing roofs, broken windows, and the collapse of the previously fire-damaged Pre-Paid Legal building on Main Street. While the destruction could definitely have been worse, Main Street took the brunt of the damage, leaving many business owners scrambling to deal with insurance companies and repairs as they tried to figure out how to reopen as soon as possible.
While business owners were thinking about recovery, community leaders were also actively responding, as the City of Ada, Grow Ada (formerly Ada Jobs Foundation), and Ada Main Street quickly united to support affected businesses. Within 24 hours, these three entities met to discern what they could do to help and within 48 hours, they had a draft of the Disaster Recovery Grant application. Former Mayor Randy McFarlin spearheaded this effort, which came together quickly thanks to the processes the Business Improvement Grant had already established. Grow Ada had already been managing the Business Improvement Grant and had established committees to review applications, making them the obvious choice to manage the Disaster Recovery Grant as well. Carol Ervin, President and CEO of Grow Ada says, “We developed the application quickly because we knew our businesses needed help. This was a devastating event for Ada and everyone wanted to help our businesses reopen and stay here.” Lakelynn Green, Director of Ada Main Street, made sure to canvas Main Street to talk to business owners and tell them about the grant while Daniel Castaneda, Economic Development Specialist at Grow Ada, focused on the back end of the process, contacting committee members, refining the application, and making sure that the processes were running smoothly.
Once the team released the application to the public, a committee of 10 community leaders met frequently to review each submission in detail and determine eligibility. The application also included an affidavit to verify the applicant-provided information and to prevent fraud. Each grant offered up to $5,000, which applicants could use for either out-of-pocket expenses or 50% of their deductible. One of the reasons they decided to include the option for a deductible was because many businesses faced deductibles of $17,000 or more. Ervin says, “Although the grant amounts were small, they gave hope to business owners in the middle of a disaster and helped them achieve their goals of repairing their buildings. We wanted them to know how much we valued them.” The most common expenses were for HVAC units, roofs, windows, and awnings and, as of the writing of this article, there were 35 requests, 28 of which were funded. During the application design process, they decided to exclude items like equipment and inventory, so the committee did not approve all grant requests.
On May 19th, the Ada City Council approved funding for the Disaster Recovery Grant, so businesses that qualified will soon receive their awards. While this grant will provide much-needed relief to businesses hit by the March 4th tornado, it also shows what’s possible when organizations work together in partnership. Ervin says, “This was an excellent opportunity for us to work together as a team, and this type of effort between multiple organizations is exactly what it will take to grow Ada to the next level.” What began in devastation became an opportunity to take action and unite for the good of our community, offering a roadmap for future collaboration—though hopefully, next time, driven by progress instead of disaster.
Written by
Daniel Castaneda
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