Disaster Response Missions

We got up early on the morning of July 30^th and met the other volunteers at 7:00 a.m. at COR.  There were nine of us in total who would make the 2-1/2 hour trip to Joplin, regardless of the high 90 degree temps for the day.  Carol, our leader, provided a brief orientation with instructions on what to expect and what we might be assigned once we reached Joplin.  This was Carol’s third mission trip to Joplin.  She use to live near Joplin and unfortunately knew a teenager that had died in the tornado.  We were able to purchase masks from Carol that we would need if we were assigned debris removal.  We decided on our car pools, loaded up the cars with all the supplies that we each brought, and anxiously started on our journey towards Joplin.

We arrived in downtown Joplin and awaited our assignments from an Americorps representative.  Things looked pretty normal.  It looked like just another busy Saturday with several stores open and some traffic moving thru town.  Little did we know that just two miles down the road lay the start of the incredible ruins where the tornado touched down and took 116 lives, adults and children.

We were excited to hear that we were assigned debris removal at three homes and learned that we should first rake the debris, scoop it up with a shovel and place it in a wheel barrel to avoid being injured by nails, glass, sharp metal, etc.  After contacting the three owners of the property it was determined that one owner needed someone with heavy equipment to remove trees that fell on their property before other debris could be removed. The second owner said that we would have to track down the new buyer of the house to sign a release to enter the property since the house was sold right before the tornado hit and the sale was now a legal matter.  The third owner said that debris had been cleared already from their property.  We were disappointed that we couldn’t immediately get to work in helping these folks. 

We then moved on to load a U-Haul for a woman and her son whose apartment complex was destroyed in the tornado.  After the tornado, they had salvaged some of their belongings and brought the items to her mother’s garage in the part of Joplin that was not hit by the tornado.  The woman and her son managed to find another place to live in Springfield, MO,  and needed help loading the U-Haul.  When our team arrived at the garage and walked in with our work gloves on ready to help, they had a brief look of disbelief and gratitude that strangers showed up out of nowhere to help them.  Although we never met these people before, we all quickly bonded and got the job done.

We then drove into what I can only describe as an obliteration of a neighborhood that stretched on for miles.  We parked, got out of our cars, and were stunned by what we saw.  There were streets with driveways, but no houses where the tornado had ripped them off their foundation, blew them apart, and scattered them in piles and piles of rubble.  There were large pieces of thick steel wrapped around tree limbs like ribbons, mangled cars where rescue and recovery teams sprayed white X’s on their doors, sprawled within the piles of rubble.  The high school was completely shattered with large pieces of thick metal beams tossed and twisted.  We saw the hospital that was destroyed, the church that was destroyed with only a metal cross standing, and trailers that drug stores like CVS and Walgreen’s were operating to provide needed prescriptions.  While the tornado occurred on May 22nd, we saw workers just setting up the government FEMA trailers at the local airport for the victims who lost their homes.

We then drove to a Relief Center and signed in as volunteers. The Relief Center provided those who lost their homes and contents a place to pick up toiletries, diapers, soap, other basic needs without cost, and to select donated clothes for both adults and children.   We were assigned unpacking, sorting, and helping survivors find the right sizes and types of clothes they were seeking for themselves or their kids.  Several of us helped a young woman about 24 years of age who had no use or movement of her right arm which was bandaged.  She was looking thru boys toddler clothes and held up a shirt and turned to us and said “I lost my son in the tornado, he was two years old, but was small for his age because he was a preemie baby. He had this same shirt.”  We remembered that Carol had told us earlier in the morning that it was important for us to take the time to listen if victims began to tell their stories, it helps them to cope and heal when they talk about what they went through.  The young woman spoke apologetically saying that she and her husband had taken cover in their house when the warning sirens went off.  She held her son and her husband laid over them.  When the tornado hit all she remembers is emergency personnel tending to her and her husband’s injuries, and waiting to hear if someone found her son.  Their son was not found alive.  They lost their home, all their belongings, and their son.  A few others told their stories, where they were when the tornado hit, how they took cover, how their homes were destroyed or family members or friends were injured or died in the tornado. There were many people who came into the tent to pick up clothes while we worked, as they searched through the piles of clothes, we all felt that if there was anything, anything at all, that we could do for them, they just needed to ask.   

While we saw the destruction of homes, buildings, schools, and the hospital, and wonder how Joplin will even begin to start to rebuild, it’s the people who survived the tornado that we met during the day that blessed our lives, by letting us provide some help as they begin putting their lives back together.  We were also touched by the other volunteers that worked beside our team who travelled in cars and by buses for several hours to do whatever they could to lend their helping hands.  We didn’t know the names of these other volunteers, but we all worked side by side just knowing with little direction, what to do.

An EF5 “grinder” tornado hit downtown Joplin, Missouri on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at 5:41 pm.  In a matter of minutes, one-third of the town was destroyed.  Hundreds of lives were lost.  Homes, schools, businesses and one of two hospitals were ripped apart in seconds by swirling winds and debris. 

Then it rained for two days.

Then the cavalry arrived — a really big cavalry.

A caravan of angels in steel-toed boots and N95 respirator masks armed with orange Home Depot waste buckets, shovels and lots of lots of compassion descended upon Joplin within hours of the tornado.  Most had no formal invitation.

Relief workers drove hundreds of miles to clear roadways of debris and slept in tents or in their vehicles in the 100-plus degree mid-west summer heat.  Donated supplies arrived by the semi-truckload, and local churches opened their doors to house volunteers from all over the country and to distribute essentials such as hygiene kits, clean clothing and bottled water.

To date, 72,000 registered volunteers have travelled to Joplin to help.  An estimated 356,000 volunteer hours have been logged by the City of Joplin, roughly 41 years worth of time.  The young and old, rich and poor, retired and not abandoned the routines of their lives to join the relief effort to do what they are able to do.

It’s clear that when the Great Project Manager in the Sky mobilizes His troops, no task is ever forgotten.   He’s planned every detail:

These people will send resources.

These people will volunteer their trucks, bulldozers, and wheelbarrows.

These people will donate food, clothing, towels and toothpaste.

These people will pick up trash.

These people will hand out water.

These people will bake comfort food.

These people will coordinate, manage, and plan.

These people will open up their homes.

These people will open up their wallets.

These people will wield chainsaws.

These people will wield hammers.

These people will wield kind words.

These people will sing.

These people will listen.

These people will donate medical care, therapy and medicines.

These people will administer tetanus shots.

These people will administer hugs.

These people will pray.

And when the dust clears, the rain stops, and the sun shines brightly again…He knows we will do all of the above.  He has faith in us to take care of each other. 

Never forget that, in the Kingdom of Heaven, nobody is ever alone.  And after the storm, you had better stand up and get ready — help is coming whether you ask for it or not. 

Trust God.  He can fix anything.

Our group arrived at COR at 7am for our day trip toJoplin. Despite predictions for 100+ degree heat, we were ready to beat the heat and sort debris. Everyone was dressed in long sleeves, jeans and boots. Our cars were loaded down with shovels, tools, wheelbarrows, extra clothes and lunches. Cheryl, our fearless leader, had us introduce ourselves and share our experiences with disaster work. After a brief orientation and a flurry of paperwork, we were ready to go. We divided up into cars, loaded our stuff and were on our way.

The trip down was easy and gave us time to get to know each other. We met the UMVIM at the parking lot in Joplinto get our assignments for the day. As it turned out, they were in need of some administration help at the Americorp offices. Cheryl had prepared us for the idea that we may not be doing debris clean-up. We would instead be dividing up into groups and working at 3 different jobs: a call center, a donation center and doing data entry. I think we had mixed feelings about the jobs. For some, it was a relief to know we would be inside and out of the intense midday heat. For others, it was a disappointment to not be in the field and working in “The Red Zone.” But we were here to serve and anxious to get started. So our team was ready to “divide and conquer!” Two of us went to the call center; six went to the donation center, and three went to do data entry.

At the call center, we were given stacks of “request for assistance” forms. We called the homeowners to see how their homes were coming and to see if they still needed assistance with the clean-up process. It was interesting to talk to these people who had been through this tragedy and watched their homes destroyed. But they had come to terms with that loss and were now mired in the process of trying to get help and get their lives back on track. Jim and I worked our way through the stacks and just tried to listen. We documented phone calls, updated their paperwork and left lots of messages. We worked with 2 Americorp volunteers from Tucson, AZ who had been in Joplin for 3 weeks. After a few hours on the phones, we went back to the tent to meet up with our team. We left wishing we could do more, but glad we could help in a small way.

At the data entry center, the volunteers were taking the assistance forms and entering them into the system. They needed to update the system so they know what homes are completed, are in process, are missing release forms, etc. This will help communication between the various organizations that are working in Joplin. It will also maximize the volunteer efforts so that they aren’t going to a house and finding it completed. 

Our biggest group went to the donation center. They worked to organize the donations and put things into bags for families to pick up. For example, they put together bags with diapers, baby food, formula and wipes. They worked with a mother-daughter pair who had been volunteering at the donation center every day since the disaster. They had lost everything in the tornado and were victims themselves. Despite their own loss, they were working to bless their community and help where they can. It was one of many moments where you saw the strength and spirit of the people inJoplin.

A few of the donation center workers also went to the “Red Zone” to get some paperwork signed by 2 home owners. They had the opportunity to see firsthand the devastation these people had experienced and to hear their stories.

The day ended too quickly and our group reconvened to drive home. We drove through the red zone on our way out of town. We had all seen pictures on the news but you couldn’t fully fathom the vastness of the damage unless you had been there. For me, it felt heart-breaking, surreal and chaotic all at once. The number of homes and businesses destroyed was unreal. The tremendous amount of work still to be done feels overwhelming. How will they ever clean-up and rebuild? But we also saw some leaves growing out of the stripped and broken trees. It gave you a little sense of hope that this town will rebuild and be stronger than ever!

It was a day that I will not soon forget.  Working with the folks from COR was good. The structural devastation was hard to comprehend and that many people lived through the storm was a miracle.

God was there during the tornado protecting lives otherwise many, many more folks would have died.

I recovered from the heat quickly.  I took a shower went to bed early and felt great the next day, wished I could done more but as you said every little job helps.

–Kay Hudson

Mission Team Journal:

On our day trip, we had two assignments.  The first was on a side of town that seemed less destroyed.  The family had their windows boarded up and their (what I assumed to be) pet ducks in “temporary housing” behind their home.  They had writing on their boarded windows leaving me to believe that looting was a real issue.   We sorted through their minimal rubble and went to our next assignment.

I hadn’t seen the hardest hit area of town yet, because we entered on the other side of town.  As we drove to our second assignment (the roads had been cleared of debris), everything I had been seeing on the news came to life.  The high school was destroyed and the hospital was blown to pieces.   How does the town prioritize where to start?  Where will the kids go to school, where will they all live and where will the sick people go?

Our second assignment was in the heart of the massively destroyed area.  19 of us stood in what used to be the entry way of a 96 year old woman’s home.  We looked as far as we could see in every single direction.  Nothing is left for miles and miles–except a lot of huge piles of rubble, broken trees, and smashed cars.  Each pile of rubble used to be someone’s home.   It’s hard to comprehend.  Imagine this happening to your subdivision and all the surrounding subdivisions.  What would you do?  Where would you go?

The homeowner’s sister and brother-in-law were there with us.    The home owner is in a nursing home and wasn’t in the house the night of the tornado.   Thankfully, the nursing home was not hit.  We all put on our gloves and masks and got to work.  We sorted through pictures, dishes, books, clothes, shoes, cleaning supplies, furniture, wood piles, and many more personal belongings.   Many of the items, the couple didn’t recognize.  They thought some things probably blew into their area during the storm. 

Perhaps the most touching part of the day was when the neighbor stood on the damaged porch next door, somberly watching us.  Her house was just as damaged.  She just watched us all as we started making piles on the curb.  Eventually, she grabbed a rake, came over to where we were working and started raking the insulation and other debris off the grass.  She was helping us….even though her house needed just as much work.

These families need so much more help.  The ones I met were so humble and grateful for the help.  I was humbled and grateful for them allowing us to help.  Isn’t it interesting that we find ourselves (as the helpers) thanking the victims for letting us help them?  I did!  I was truly touched by this experience. 

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Philippians 2:4