Volunteers from the international relief group Samaritan’s Purse are helping St. Louis residents in the aftermath of the tornado that devastated the region on May 16 and left many displaced from their homes.
Jodie Yoder, program manager of U.S. disaster relief with Samaritan’s Purse, said that as of Friday, the organization had received around 200 work orders. Over 70 volunteers are helping tarp roofs, remove debris, cut trees and remove items like sofas, beds and other appliances from homes.
Yoder said nearly 30 work orders had been completed as of late last week.
The relief efforts are free of charge, and the group is scheduled to remain in the region for about three weeks, with a potential extension. The group is using fliers, social media and door-to-door outreach to connect with people and assess needs, Yoder added.
“We're taking debris to the road and cutting up trees that have fallen on houses or in the yard, and just loving on the neighborhood and letting them know they're not forgotten,” Yoder said.
The group, which is based in Boone, North Carolina, arrived in St. Louis on May 17. The ministry has thousands of volunteer networks across the U.S, according to Molly Miller, ministry spokeswoman.
Volunteers dressed in bright orange shirts, and some in hard hats operating heavy machinery worked to clean up bricks, cut up trees and remove items from inside an apartment building on North Sarah Street in the Ville on Friday. The roof of the building was severely damaged by the EF3 tornado that left five people dead and dozens injured.
Deloris Bass, 63, lives in the building.
She said she was in Jennings picking up her cousin from school around 3:15 p.m. May 16 when the tornado hit. While she didn’t see the actual tornado, she said it was raining and hail was hitting her window as she drove home.
“Where I was at, it wasn’t dark, but it was dark enough,” Bass said. “It didn’t last long; it stopped. When I got to my neighborhood, it was just so much damage everywhere … it was just horrible. People’s house was damaged, bricks and everything were in the street.”
Bass said her power was restored Wednesday, but since the building’s roof was badly mangled, rain got inside the home, making it unlivable. She said she’s staying in an RV for now until her roof can be fixed, which will take some time.
“To get it done costs so much, so we’re going to try and do it ourselves,” Bass said. She said she’ll have to raise money for the extensive repairs.
Her insurance only covers fires, not damage from the storm, she said. Volunteers from another organization placed a large blue tarp on top to cover it last week.
“It’s just devastating to a whole bunch of people that really lost a whole lot, more than me,” Bass said. “I try to keep a calm mind, because you got people coming out to help you and everything, so that’s good.”
Hundreds of St. Louisans have been displaced by the storm, and some are staying at American Red Cross shelters, while others refuse to leave their homes for fear of people breaking and entering.
Yoder said the work is a no-brainer.
“We're committed to loving our neighbor as ourselves, even if it’s not our physical neighbor,” Yoder said. “People are looking for something after a disaster. That's a time when I think we're looking for something to hold onto, and we know that we're to hold onto Jesus, so we want to offer that hope to each of the homeowners.”
Those needing assistance in the aftermath of the tornado in St. Louis can contact Samaritan’s Purse at 833-747-1234.
