New helpers in town as Poplar Bluff moves toward the next steps in storm recovery
POPLAR BLUFF, Mo., (KBSI) – There are new helpers in town as Poplar Bluff moves into the next phase of storm recovery.
People have been busy ever since the storm hit Friday night in Poplar Bluff – the community banding together as they tackle the wreckage of hundreds of homes and other storm-ravished buildings.
Butler County Emergency Management Director Robbie Myers said the next step is damage assessment. FEMA, SEMA, and SBA are coming in Thursday to assess the properties that were majorly damaged.
“That’s when some relief can start coming through,” he said. “We’re confident on the magnitude of the damage, that it reaches those thresholds.”
There are new helpers in town, as well.
Over at First Baptist Church, Samaritan’s Purse set up a command center in the parking lot – sending volunteers out into the field to assist residents.
The volunteers are doing a number of things including, getting tarps on roofs to keep them dry, doing chainsaw work to clean up trees and debris, helping people pack up their things, and even helping locate things people lost. But, that’s not all they’re doing.
According to Samaritan’s Purse disaster relief program manager John Schultz, they’re helping people through the grieving process that comes with losing their homes, as well.
“We also have chaplains on the ground as well,” he said. “They’re going to be there to be able to talk with homeowners, pray with them if they want to, and be able to offer emotional and spiritual care for those needs that are out there, as well.”
With the recent storm system hitting multiple counties in Southeast Missouri – the volunteers aren’t just working in Butler County.
“We were able to utilize this location here as a central location to then reach out beyond just Poplar Bluff,” Schultz said. “We’re also working in Wayne county and a couple of the other surrounding counties – where more than just one tornado has hit this region.”
Myers said there’s a community prayer service Thursday evening – inviting all Butler County residents to join together as they reflect on what they’ve been through and where they’re going next, as they rebuild.
