PERRYVILLE MISSOURI RESPONDS TO TORNADO*

We heard the news first thing in the morning. A tornado had touched down in Perryville, Missouri, a quaint, town about 90 miles South of St. Louis.

The tornado tore through a path 15-miles long and one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide as it roared toward the Mississippi River. In its wake 115 mph winds destroyed a small subdivision of homes, leveling some, creating major damage to others and injuring people who did not take shelter.

A friend called a colleague in Perryville to ask if we could help. We were asked  to bring some supplies even though we had been advised to stay away from the area.

We were detoured around the exact area of touch down and directed to go to a staging area where we found the temporary office for volunteers and first-responders.  As we drove in, I noticed a number of women and children from neighboring communities carrying food dishes and other items.

The experience allowed us the privilege of supporting people from regions other than our own.

Most impressive was the well organized effort by volunteers as they recovered from what surely must have been a night of horror as they worked and walked into the following day's sunshine.


*The St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Report and overview of the destruction
can be found at: Ken Bell, kbelle@postdispatch.com
March 2, 2017 edition.