In early March 2020, a series of tornadoes spun from a powerful thunderstorm that barreled through the Midwest and southern states, resulting in middle Tennessee being hit hard.Įdward Graham met with homeowners and volunteers after tornadoes swept through middle Tennessee in early 2020. We also installed in-ground storm shelters on more than four dozen other properties to give homeowners a secure place to retreat in the event of a tornado. Each fully-rebuilt home was constructed with a steel-and-concrete reinforced safe room in the center of the structure. More than 160 volunteers from 24 states came to rebuild homes in the devastated area. Tommy was among 4,000 volunteers who showed up to help more than 615 families clean up their homes and properties in Moore. I understand what they felt as a victim of a storm, as someone who felt helpless in an instant.” I got to hear their stories and cry with them. “Through the experience, I got to meet some wonderful people. “I was there on day three after the tornado in 2013 to help clean up,” Tommy said, who also returned 13 months later to help rebuild homes in the area. In just 37 minutes it had claimed 24 lives, including seven children.įranklin Graham prays with workers in Moore, Oklahoma, who had erected crosses in memory of seven children killed in the storm. More than a mile wide, the massive twister ripped across the area for 17 miles. Two years later, almost to the day that a tornado churned through his town, another EF-5 hit several hundred miles away near Moore, Oklahoma. Yet, it was through tragic circumstances followed by God’s work through Samaritan’s Purse volunteers that Tommy recommitted his life to God and began serving others. Today is the day I am going to lose everything I’ve worked for my entire life,’” Tommy said. “You never wake up in the morning thinking, ‘Today is the day my life is going to be turned upside down. Tommy Harper was one homeowner we helped from recovery to rebuild, and then he became a volunteer. We stayed to rebuild and repair homes for at least 20 families. In the case of Joplin, the work didn’t end when the initial disaster recovery phase was completed. “I remember wondering, ‘How can they still have hope after this?’” said Danielle Crisco, whose first time volunteering with us was in Joplin.īut as Danielle and countless other volunteers have experienced over the years of serving after deadly tornadoes and other natural disasters, opportunities to share the eternal hope of the Lord Jesus Christ is why Samaritan’s Purse continues to respond. Over the course of six weeks Samaritan’s Purse deployed about 6,500 volunteers to assist more than 750 families with tree and debris removal, recovery of belongings, patching damaged roofs, and sharing the hope of Jesus Christ with so many hurting people. He volunteered for the Moore, Oklahoma, tornado two years later. Tommy was impacted by the Joplin, Missouri, tornado, but experienced hope as Samaritan’s Purse helped him clean up and rebuild his home. In just 38 minutes it killed 142 people as it leveled homes and many buildings near the town’s center. This initial weaker twister joined with other destructive vortices surrounding it, eventually combining into a mile-wide EF-5 that was then the deadliest tornado on record. On the evening of May 22, 2011, a tornado touched down at the Kansas/Missouri border, tracking east and intensifying as it ripped through Joplin, Missouri, on a 22-mile path of devastation. Only a few weeks into our response in Alabama, tragedy struck once again. With the help of more than 1,100 volunteers and the support of First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa, we rebuilt 18 homes and provided significant repairs to 13 homes to make them livable again. Our teams didn’t depart the Tuscaloosa area for two more years, at the conclusion of a rebuild project in the community. Samaritan’s Purse immediately deployed and clean up work began just a few days after the storm. The devastation of tornadoes can be sudden and widespread. Annual Report and Financial Accountability.
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