A killer tornado obliterated a Tinker Federal Credit Unionbranch in Moore, Okla., but its steel safe deposit vault encased inconcrete saved the lives of Branch Manager Jan Davis, eight membersand 14 employees.

That image, of the vault standing sentinel surrounded by debris,was one of the striking images that captured national media coverage after the May 20 storm.

Only nine days after the tornado killed 25 people in Moore,injured hundreds of others, destroyed 1,300 homes, two schools andnumerous businesses, including the Moore branch, The $3.1 billioncredit union's senior management and the board of directors decidedto immediately start the process of rebuilding the branch in thesame location.

“My staff is excited about going back home,” Davis said in aninterview with Credit Union Times. “I love this community.I can't imagine being somewhere else.”

Although the vault that saved 22 lives had to be scrapped, a portion of itswall has been saved to create a memorial at the new6,000-square-foot branch, which will feature a personal financecafé, investment center, an indoor children's play area, sixdrive-through lanes, an ATM, and of course, a new safe depositvault.

The details of the memorial are still being worked out, saidMatthew Stratton, TFCU senior vice president of marketing. Morethan 20 photos of the branch's reconstruction are posted on thecreditunion's website.

Some of the people who huddled in the vault during the tornadowere interviewed on national news broadcasts such as NBC and CNN.The story also appeared on news sites throughout the country andaround the world.

As the tornado approached, Davis and employees closed thebranch and quickly ushered everyone into the vault. Despite the F-5tornado's ferocious winds of 261 to 318 mph, Davis and others inthe vault managed to keep the door shut.

Next Page: Three HorrifyingMinutes

For about three horrifying minutes, Davis, theemployees and members were cramped in a safe deposit vault as themonstrous tornado was raging around them, destroying everything inits path.

“I was at the door and left it just a crack open so I could tellwhat was happening,” she described in May. “Once I heard the noiseof the tornado—the cracks and the pops—I knew it was there andpulled the steel door shut. We heard very loud bangs and crashes,glass breaking, things hitting things. There was no doubt inanybody's mind in that vault that the building was gone.”

While Tinker FCU's storm protocols went smoothly, the OklahomaCity-based cooperative is considering installing a latch system forits vault doors to keep them closed during a natural disaster.

“The vault is designed to keep people out, not accidentally lockpeople in,” Stratton said. “There is probably going to be some typeof adaptation to make it easier to latch the vault from the insidebut would still allow people to get out.”

Davis said the new branch will be one of the first newstructures to pop up in the devastated area. Because the branch canbe seen from Interstate 35 it will give passersby and visitors astrong sign that the city is on the rebound, she said.

Moore residents wasted little time cleaning up the hundreds ofthousands of tons of debris and rebuilding their homes andbusinesses.

The Oklahoman, a daily newspaper, reported that inMoore the sounds of construction are ubiquitous.

“Moore residents say they wake up and often go to sleep with thebang of hammers and the whine of power tools,” the newspaperreported Nov. 19.

The city issued 332 building permits for new, single-familyhomes in storm-damaged areas and an additional 418 permits forremodel work for homes that were damaged by the tornado, accordingto The Oklahoman. What's more, 11 businesses have securedpermits to rebuild and six other companies have applied for permitsto remodel, the newspaper reported.

“The residents of Moore are strong and proud, and they areworking hard to make a comeback,” Stratton said.