See Aftermath of Oklahoma McDonald's Devastated by Rare Cyclonic Tornado

A deadly tornado that ripped through parts of Oklahoma on April 19 caused serious damage to a McDonald's restaurant in Shawnee.

Christopher Austain-Stokes, the assistant general manager of the Shawnee McDonald's branch, told Newsweek how he was on duty when the tornado hit. It tore up the site and left the famous golden arches sign over the four-lane road.

"The tornado hit around 10 p.m. on the 19th," Austain-Stokes said. "The store reopened the next day."

With three shattered windows and destroyed signage, the team members at the fast-food chain were lucky to be unscathed.

A severe supercell thunderstorm was first developed over Apache and Chickasha, to the southwest of Oklahoma City, shortly after 5 p.m. local time on April 19. It then began to move northwest, producing "baseball-size hail." Supercell thunderstorms are the least common but most violent type of storm, according to the National Weather Service.

The thunderstorm spawned a long-track tornado that exhibited two rare meteorological phenomena: a fast and dangerous detour; and the phenomenon of the Fujiwhara Effect, which produces two cyclonic systems drifting toward each other.

In Shawnee, many homes and businesses were destroyed during the devastating weather. Thousands were left without power, and the clean-up effort continues.

Mayor of Shawnee Ed Bolt told Newsweek: "The tornado did significant damage. There were over 1,800 structures involved. Through all of that, we are extremely fortunate that we did not have one fatality—I'm not aware of anybody that even got hurt badly. We are very, very fortunate."

Bolt explained that the McDonald's sign was still on the opposite side of the highway following the storm damage. "It's right off the interstate, and the sign is laying on the ground across that four-lane road," he said.

"There were no injuries," said Austain-Stokes. He shared the pictures on Reddit and explained that the team even managed to keep all of the food safe.

Austain-Stokes wrote that the food stayed in the safe temperature range until the team could get the generator going. "Nothing was spoiled," he explained. "Had a crew come in the next morning that cleaned up all the debris, we reopened at 7 p.m."

"I was the only manager on duty when it happened," added Austain-Stokes. "It wasn't particularly difficult as we had no customers for 30 minutes before the storm hit."

Following the tornado, Bolt said that the community were coming together to fix up the damage.

"The clean-up started right away," he added. "It was neighbors helping neighbors right away. We all look out for each other. Right after the storm, everybody was checking on each other and helping their neighbors get things cleaned up.

"We have a way to go, but we'll get there," Bolt said.

CORRECTION: 04/25/23, 10:53 a.m.: Article updated to clarify that Christopher Austain-Stokes, the assistant general manager of the Shawnee McDonald's branch.