#ArkanSTRONG

From Hot Springs Village to Haskell, Saline County residents stood ready to help fellow Arkansans in time of need following the deadly tornado that ripped through the state on April 27. Living in “tornado alley”, everyone in Saline County knows all too well the physical and emotional toll of these devastating storms.

According to the tornadoproject.com website, in the last 14 years Saline County has been the victim of 15 tornadoes of varying degrees that have torn apart homes, businesses and families. The deadliest in our county since the database was formed in the 1950s was March 1, 1997 when an EF4 resulted in 10 fatalies and 40 recorded injuries. No doubt many remember that day.

Although weather conditions on April 27 actually produced a total of 5 tornadoes, the Mayflower/Vilonia storm was by far the strongest, rated at an EF4 with estimated winds between 180 and 190 mph. This ¾ of a mile wide monster began on the Pulaski/Faulkner County line and stayed on the ground tearing apart everything in its path for 41.3 miles according to the National Weather Service in Little Rock. Sixteen lives were lost and over 400 homes completely destroyed.

Time and time again we’ve mobilized to help each other and although the devastation was not in our county this time, we are all Arkansans! For this most recent disaster #ArkanSTRONG has been the rally call, banding forces together to start rebuilding lives and hope.

Individuals, businesses, churches and organizations all over the county immediately sprang into action to provide much needed relief in the form of supply shipments, debris clean-up and prayer. There are dozens of these stories out of Saline County, but we were able to hear about a few and learn about the heart behind the help.

Boys & Girls Club of Bryant

The Boys and Girls Club of Bryant is in the business of helping children and families on a daily basis, but after the April 27 tornado, they took it to the next level to help provide calm after the storm. The Boys and Girls Club has been a collection point for all of the normal supplies needed after a natural disaster plus the Club collected stuffed animals to comfort the children whose lives have been forever changed.

According to Suzanne Passmore, Executive Director for the Boys and Girls Club, the community, as well as the staff, board and club families, have all worked together to help those in need. “The idea to become a collection point was the idea of a couple of our team members at the Club. From there, we all began jumping into action. Our board and staff have gone above and beyond to do whatever is necessary to get help to those who were affected. I have been so proud to work with such a caring and selfless group of people and the response from the community has been tremendous. Park Place Baptist Church and Collegeville Elementary alone brought a large trailer and full bus load.”

“It’s times like this that make you realize just how fragile life is and how we should all pull together any time we can to help those in need. I often quote the Boys and Girls Clubs of America spokesperson, Denzel Washington, ‘At the end of the day, it’s not about what you have or what you have accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up and made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.’”

Celebration Baptist Church

On April 28, the morning after the storm, Celebration Baptist Church in Haskell launched a community wide collection of items for those affected by the storm. After seeing the severity of the storm, church pastor Allan Eakin felt a sense of urgency and the need to act. “On Monday morning, I texted Jeff Arey, Mayor of Haskell, and asked if City Hall could serve as a collection site for the people in the Haskell area. Jeff readily agreed. Initially, we asked people to bring things like work gloves, flashlights and tarps, but as time progressed and other needs lists appeared, people started bringing a variety of items. The response has been amazing. In just a few hours, donations began to accumulate from people in the community of Haskell, not just our church.”

Pastor Eakin remembers the impact from tornado relief efforts in Moore, Oklahoma and wants Arkansans to feel the same love and support. “Last year we took supplies and some heavy equipment to Oklahoma. People were so very appreciative and we saw first hand what positive effects can come from a tornado relief effort and we certainly wanted to do the same for our home state. Serving others should be a part of the spiritual DNA of Christians. We simply wanted to be the “hands and feet” of Jesus to those in the communities devastated by the storm.”

Celebration Baptist Church’s efforts along with those of Arkansas Health Center and Crossroads Baptist Church resulted in a 14 foot enclosed trailer being delivered to the donation center in Conway.

Hot Springs Village Fire Department

Lt. Jeremy Simmons of Hot Springs Village Fire Department and his fellow firefighters were huddled around their scanners as the storms rolled into Arkansas. “We were all listening to the scanners and hearing the fire departments who were first one the scene in Vilonia and Mayflower. We heard the tone of their voices as they described complete devastating, loss of life and the search for survivers as they dug through the rubble. We all wanted to be there to help search but we couldn’t leave because we were on duty here.” Although the group couldn’t be on-site to help, they immediately put a plan in place to start relief efforts from Hot Springs Village.

“We knew we needed to do something, so Fire Chief Jason Miller asked the HSV Property Owners Association to send out a mass email to let residents know we were collecting, and the donating starting pouring in. Hot Springs Village responded to the call and collected 5 truckloads and 2 trailers loads of items such as clothing, first-aid supplies, toiletries and baby items. Since then volunteers from HSV have been to Paron and back to Vilonia to help with debris clean-up.

In addition to these groups, many of our friends and neighbors volunteered their time to help. Karen Yarberry and her husband David is an example of one couple who just couldn’t stay away. “I knew I had to go and when I got there and saw the devastation, I was heartbroken. Nothing was in tact. I couldn’t even find a pencil that wasn’t broken. We searched acres and acres for anything and all the personal belongings we could salvage fit into a gallon size Ziplock bag.”

The 2014 severe weather season is not over yet and it’s certain there will be more tradegy from these killer storms in the years to come. What can be done to prepare? Famililes are encouraged to have a weather radio, develop a family communication plan, prepare an emergency kit containing items such as a flashlight, first-aid kit, battery powered radio, blankets and water. The most proactive step to take is to build a safe room or tornado shelter if possible. According to The Weather Channel’s Dr. Greg Frobes, who helped developed the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF scale), says you can survive an EF4 or EF5 tornado “particularly if you have a basement or in-house shelter.”

It is not possible for everyone to build a shelter, but hundreds of lives were spared in Vilonia thanks to the public storm shelter built following the tornado of 2011. Saline County does not currently have public storm shelters, but maybe this is something we should consider as a community in tornado alley.