‘People still care’; Community support surges after fatal Scott County tornado
SCOTT COUNTY, Mo. (KBSI) — After an EF-3 tornado tore through parts of southeast Missouri, Friday, May 16, residents in Scott County are picking up the pieces with help from neighbors, volunteers, and local organizations who have mobilized a large relief effort.
Old Bethel Baptist Church has become a central hub for donations and assistance. Volunteers have collected piles of clothing, non-perishable food, hygiene supplies, and other essentials for families who lost everything.
Pastor Brent Horton said the outpouring of support began almost immediately.
“They started bagging up stuff and putting it here. And so we’re here to offer that,” he said. “Then we started figuring out we can offer meals, and then Red Cross came and said, ‘Hey, we can deliver them.’ So it’s just been growing and growing and growing.”
The Red Cross is now delivering hot meals daily to residents. On Wednesday, chicken and dumplings with green beans were on the menu, along with drinks and snack options.
Just down the road, the DAEOC Community Action Agency set up an emergency unit equipped with showers and laundry machines — offering residents a place to clean up after days of clearing debris.
GO SEMO also set up a Wi-Fi hotspot for those still needing internet access.
Trevor Ethridge, a resident who was home when the tornado hit, said he is forever changed by the disaster. He will never forget what unfolded that day.
“It’s just been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life,” he said. “It happened so quick. The destruction was so high.”
Despite the devastation, Ethridge said he’s been amazed by the community response.
“These people coming out the way they have been – it’s one of the most amazing things you can see if you go through something like this,” he said, “when everything else you ever had just blew away.”
Though his street looks unrecognizable, he said the kindness of strangers and neighbors gives him hope.
“People still care,” he said, “and they love each other.”
