Remember a couple months ago I forwarded a request from Andy Vance at Vinyard who was taking a team out to St. Louis for winter storm relief? I asked for and got an update from him on the work they did and wanted to share it with all.
Just 2 of us went from Ohio, but a group of 20 showed up in Missouri.
We stayed at a Baptist church in Miller, Missouri and worked just North of it in Everton.
Many were poor, elderly or ill. All were very grateful. Many commented that they had no idea how they were going to clean up the mess.
It honestly looked like someone took a huge weed-eater to the tops of every tree in the county. The limbs were all broken at the top. Some limbs were still attached and broken, but many became vertical projectiles once encased in ice and plummeted to earth. Tree limbs pierced roofs, cars and the ground. Fences were destroyed, and in cattle-country that's a big problem.
Our small group cleared over 150 homes in 5 days, with the help of 2 Bobcats. It was a blessing to be able to see so many lives impacted. We prayed with each family and presented each with a Bible from Samaritan's Purse.
we also re-located mid-week to Pierce City. So, 2 communities were helped, but the total homes cleared were over 150.
The weather didn't present any issues. The 5 to 15 degree weather (not including wind chill) actually didn't create any major challenges. We ended up losing a few layers of clothes after about 10 minutes of working.
One person was taken to the hospital for a chainsaw injury to the knee. He wasn't wearing the kevlar chaps that were provided. After that, everyone with a chainsaw had them. The roads were slippery and snow covered (it snowed while we were there) but we didn't have to travel far to the worksites and we were mostly in 4x4 vehicles.
Thanks.
Andy
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