The work of the Episcopal Church in several states hit by recent tornadoes is faith inspiring.
Images of people “cut all to pieces” and cries of sheer terror and panic still haunt Cary Lee, but the special road district supervisor for Joplin, Missiouri, said June 6 that despite the devastation his faith has deepened through the outpouring of love and support after the deadliest tornado in decades.
“Every night I go to bed, I hear the screams, the sirens in my head, and it’s like I’m going to wake up out of a bad dream, but it never ends,” said Lee, 43, who drove the 14-mile distance from his Carthage home toward the May 22 tornado to offer assistance.
“I could see the tornado in the distance. I knew it was going to be bad, because it was raining roof shingles and plywood and chunks of insulation in front of my house,” recalled Lee, a member of Grace Episcopal Church. He helped clear debris from streets so emergency vehicles and first responders could aid the injured, encountering several bodies in the process. “One lady I recognized from the Baptist Church, where we got vacation bible school supplies,” he said during a telephone interview.
The tornado, three-quarters of a mile wide, was on the ground for six miles and an estimated 22 minutes, Lee added. It killed 141 and injured nearly a thousand people, making it one of the deadliest tornadoes to strike the nation. An estimated 8,000 buildings were destroyed; city officials put rebuilding costs at nearly $3 billion.
Damage to local Episcopal churches and schools, however, was minimal; no Episcopalians were reported among the fatalities, although there were some injuries and about 17 families lost homes, according to Bishop Martin Field of West Missouri.
Rather, several churches quickly mobilized as distribution centers for food, clothing and other supplies, he said during a recent telephone interview. St. Philip’s Church in Joplin also offered used of its building to local churches that lost their buildings, he said.
“The devastation is incredible but the faith of the people is even more incredible.
Rebuilding is not an if, it’s a when,” he added. Field, a former U.S. Navy chaplain said viewing the rubble after the tornado triggered memories of his service during Desert Storm and Desert Shield.
“These people are going to have their lives back, through the good offices of our church and the other churches and, of course, the American people,” he declared. “There’s been a tremendous outpouring, of people pouring out their hearts, that will continue until everybody’s got their life back.”
Destructive spring storms, floods and tornadoes elsewhere have, in recent months, killed hundreds and injured thousands, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage and prompted immediate, and longer-term recovery assistance from Episcopal Relief & Development, according to a June 3 statement from the Episcopal Church’s disaster relief agency.
More at:
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/79425_128606_ENG_HTM.htm