A Tornado, Pandemic, and the Church's Response
On March 28, 2020 families huddled together and braced for the unthinkable. KAIT8 was live on the air and we watched as powerlines sparked and debris flew into the sky. An EF3 tornado touched down in Jonesboro, Arkansas. The tornado would be on the ground for 10 miles and cut through the heart of our city. All we could do was hold on and pray; pray that lives would be spared.
With tornado sirens still roaring we jumped in the truck and headed toward our family and friends. You don’t quite know how to respond when a crisis strikes but you know you have to do something. We have made that quick trip across town a thousand times but on that day it felt like it took hours. We didn’t yet know the extent of the damage but we started to see signs of destruction; downed power lines, roofs ripped off, and cars overturned. Adrenaline was rushing as we walked neighborhoods looking for anyone who needed help. As the sun set we still didn’t know just how bad the tornado was or how many lives had been lost.
That evening the calls and text messages came pouring in, so many wanted to help however they could. Word spread across social media and early on Sunday morning hundreds of people showed up in our church parking lot ready to help. They brought tractors, chainsaws, rakes, and willing hands. What an overwhelming feeling to see so many people rally to help their town.
With the blessing of our local first responders we went into neighborhoods to help homeowners salvage what they could and begin the cleanup process. The destruction was overwhelming to see. Entire homes were leveled and neighborhoods torn apart. Debris from the storm was found carried over 50 miles away.
Yet, despite the direct hit in the heart of our town, not a single life was lost. If not for a global pandemic restaurants and businesses would have been packed on that Saturday evening. Turtle Creek Mall was hit directly with Best Buy and Barnes and Noble being leveled. Yet not a single life was lost. Truly a miracle.
Our cleanup efforts were bolstered by help from outside our community. A disaster relief organization called Samaritan's Purse set up their headquarters at our church. They helped lead daily groups of volunteers into the community. For almost two weeks groups would go out twice a day to help clear debris and meet the needs of homeowners. Through the help of faithful volunteers and dozens of other organizations our community came together to help thousands of people. It was through this storm that we became Jonesboro Strong.
With tornado sirens still roaring we jumped in the truck and headed toward our family and friends. You don’t quite know how to respond when a crisis strikes but you know you have to do something. We have made that quick trip across town a thousand times but on that day it felt like it took hours. We didn’t yet know the extent of the damage but we started to see signs of destruction; downed power lines, roofs ripped off, and cars overturned. Adrenaline was rushing as we walked neighborhoods looking for anyone who needed help. As the sun set we still didn’t know just how bad the tornado was or how many lives had been lost.
That evening the calls and text messages came pouring in, so many wanted to help however they could. Word spread across social media and early on Sunday morning hundreds of people showed up in our church parking lot ready to help. They brought tractors, chainsaws, rakes, and willing hands. What an overwhelming feeling to see so many people rally to help their town.
With the blessing of our local first responders we went into neighborhoods to help homeowners salvage what they could and begin the cleanup process. The destruction was overwhelming to see. Entire homes were leveled and neighborhoods torn apart. Debris from the storm was found carried over 50 miles away.
Yet, despite the direct hit in the heart of our town, not a single life was lost. If not for a global pandemic restaurants and businesses would have been packed on that Saturday evening. Turtle Creek Mall was hit directly with Best Buy and Barnes and Noble being leveled. Yet not a single life was lost. Truly a miracle.
Our cleanup efforts were bolstered by help from outside our community. A disaster relief organization called Samaritan's Purse set up their headquarters at our church. They helped lead daily groups of volunteers into the community. For almost two weeks groups would go out twice a day to help clear debris and meet the needs of homeowners. Through the help of faithful volunteers and dozens of other organizations our community came together to help thousands of people. It was through this storm that we became Jonesboro Strong.
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