Missouri Disaster Relief, Week 1

To quote Bad Boys II: Shit just got real.  We got rerouted to Joplin Missouri to help with the relief and cleanup efforts here, and it’s been quite a week. 

((Sunday)):

Sunday night, Joplin Missouri was hit with one of the most devastating tornadoes to date.  The storm ravaged the town, leaving a six-mile long pile of debris where there were once houses and schools.  8000 buildings were damaged or destroyed.  At least 136 people were killed (44 are still missing) making it the deadliest tornado in well over 60 years. 

((Monday)):

We left Denver early, still destined for Saint Louis.  Somewhere in Kansas, we got the call that we were going to Joplin instead.  We stayed that night in Lawrence Kansas and caught up on news from the storm.  The extent of the destruction was horrifying and it was a little intimidating to know that we would be there the following day.

((Tuesday)):

We arrived in Joplin in the morning.  Some 36 hours had passed since the storm had hit, and the volunteer center and the Red Cross shelter were swamped.  I spent Tuesday working at the shelter and at a nearby donation center.  The donation center shut down around five for another tornado warning.  All the residents staying in the shelter were moved into the basement, and we spent the evening in the basement of the volunteer center, waiting out the storm.  Quite a Missouri welcome.

((Wednesday, Thursday, Friday)):

Wednesday was the first day I actually saw the fallout from the tornado.  The pictures coming out of the city are harrowing, to be sure, but they really don’t capture the scope of it all.  Cars were flipped over, trees were pulled out of the ground, houses were ripped to shreds, and all that stuff was visible as far as you could see.  The wreckage goes on for miles and miles.  Even outside of the worst stretches of it, lots of homes were hit by falling trees.  It’s amazing what 200 mile per hour winds can do.

I got moved to the field on Wednesday, and I spent the rest of the week there leading groups of volunteers clearing debris.  We were working on the fringes of the tornado’s path, cutting up fallen trees and moving slash and debris to the street for the city to pick up.

Working with the volunteers has been awesome.  I led with one other Americorps employee, and we had anywhere from 40 to 90 volunteers at our disposal.  The homeowners were very grateful and it was great to see how empowered the volunteers felt to be helping out.  With a workforce that size, it was a little stressful keeping them all busy and keeping them organized, but at the end of every day, we had accomplished a ton, and we heard some amazing stories from the homeowners and volunteers.

The days were long (14- 17 hrs of work), but they were affirming too. Without a doubt, this has been one of the most intense weeks of my life.

Joplin got hit real bad, and they are going to need lots more help for years to come.  Here’s a link if you would like to donate and help the red cross meet their immediate needs: 

http://www.redcross-ozarks.org/joplin/

Thanks!