Posted by Fledge on Monday May 9 2011 | Tweet
"Our neighborhood has a working toilet" What a weird thing to say. Our disaster relief team heard this during our early morning briefing before we set out to help those who had lost everything. This was just the beginning of what we would experience for the rest of the day.
We drove through large intersections and slowed to hand bottles of cold water to the police officers directing 4-lanes of traffic as there was still no electricity to power traffic lights. We drove down side roads with little or no damage to property, but there was 'shrapnel'; desks, beds, lumber, siding, etc jabbed, stabbed and still secured in tree tops 30 to 50 feet above the ground miles from our work zone. This was not a weird thing to hear when we drove around the corner into a neighborhood and then we saw it: Nothing!!! Everything was gone.... only a few foundations of houses were left behind.
On April 27, 2011 more than 170 tornados touched down in just one day. More than 300 lives were lost, and over 100 people are still missing. In the area we were helping out two more bodies were discovered under all the debris left behind from the devastating storms.
16 volunteers and I drove up from Georgia to Huntsville, Alabama to assist those in need. We had the chance to pray for those literally trying to pick up the pieces. We met people in different stages of mourning. Some smiles greeted us because of the help which had arrived, and others still had tears of uncertainty of where to go or what to do next.
This experience was heartbreaking.
We had arrived to help. We cleared huge forests of wind swept pine and debris. Gloves and chainsaws is all we needed. 17 people on a mission: Serving Christ as His creation.
What was absolutely incredible was that we were not alone. Looking around there must have been hundreds of people in a five block area. The continuous hum of chainsaws filtered through the air. Tree removal was just one of the main focuses for anyone who showed up to lend a hand.
If you were there to help all you had to do was join others in their efforts to relieve the stress of cleaning up area which truly looked like a war zone.
"If you need a restroom our neighborhood has a working toilet" was not weird to hear after seeing the damage left behind by the forces of nature.
If you reading this then please understand that people need your help. I will be going multiple times over the coming months. You are welcome to join us or just take your family, your friends, and your small group and just arrive with work gloves and a heart to help and you will be put to work.
Google a location or check the Salvation Army or Red Cross sites. My personal First response group is Hopeforce International. I have been working with them since Hurricane Katrina. Relief efforts all over the South East are under way... all you need to do is go.