‘Many hands make light work’ – volunteers picking up the pieces of Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo., (KBSI) – Recovery efforts are underway in Butler County after severe weather Friday night caused extensive damage in the area. 

More than 500 households were hit by the storm and at least fifty businesses, that’s according to Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers who said officials are still assessing the damage.

Sunday, crews worked to repair power lines that were blown down and even mangled in the high speed winds of Friday night’s tornado.

In people’s front yards, there were trees ripped out of the ground by their roots. Some have blocked roads and others crushed cars, buildings, and anything else that laid below it.

Metal was peeled away from buildings, exposing fluffy yellow insultation that has become stuck in bushes and tree branches.

Community members were out in front yards and fields gathering piles of debris left over from the storm.

With Bluff First church, Pastor Ashley Pritchett said the damage to the town in extensive, that it’ll take a marathon to recover.

She’s been coordinating relief efforts with volunteers through the church.

“It’s just – it’s bad. It’s so bad,” she said.

Pritchett said it was hard to process the depth of what was happening during the storm. Reality didn’t quite hit until the next morning.

“It was much heavier after the fact,” she said, “and the next morning waking up to just all the devastation.”

Volunteer Naomi Deaton offered supplies to community members from shipments they’re receiving through Convoy of Hope.

“Many hands make light work,” she said, “and so, honestly, we just wanted to be extra hands and feet – kind of show the love of Jesus in a very practical way.”

Michelle Crowley is one of the people church volunteers have helped. She said she took shelter in a closet with her dog during the storm. She felt her whole house shaking as sirens blared and the tornado roared through. With a loud bang, a tree fell on her roof.

The Bluff First volunteers were at her house Sunday afternoon, to help remove the tree and repair some of the roof damage. She said she can’t find the words to express how grateful she is.

“All these people – they keep coming and helping and bringing stuff and calling me,” Crowley said. “I can’t – I can’t find words. I don’t have any. All I can say is thank you.”

In the aftermath of the storm, Pritchett said the community will wade through the trauma that will inevitably come through the next weeks and months.

“The shock of it right now – people are in adrenaline mode and we are in survival mode, but we know that this is going to be a marathon and that we’re going to have to to pay attention to ourselves and our community,” she said.

Pritchett said the community will stay strong through it all, and take care of each other.