United Methodists clean up after Oklahoma tornados
Youth from First United Methodist Church in Ardmore, Okla., help
retrieve photos and other belongings from a family's home destroyed by
a tornado. UMNS photos by the Rev. Mary Gaudreau.
A UMNS Report
By Linda Bloom*
March 2, 2009
United Methodists are continuing to assist cleanup and salvage
operations following the tornados that struck Oklahoma on Feb. 10-11.
Particularly hard hit was the Lone Grove community, just west
of Ardmore in southern Oklahoma, where a tornado killed eight people,
demolished 118 homes and damaged an additional 50 homes. The Lone Grove
tornado passed about 400 yards east of the local United Methodist church, which was undamaged.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief assigned Mary
Gaudreau, a national disaster consultant from Guthrie, Okla., to assess
the needs in the area. UMCOR also sent an initial $10,000 emergency
grant to the denomination’s Oklahoma Annual Conference.
Church youth clear debris in the
Ardmore area.
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She accompanied Bishop Robert E. Hayes of the Oklahoma Area when he
visited Lone Grove on Feb. 21, along with Ardmore District
Superintendent Guy Ames III and Oklahoma Conference Volunteers In
Mission official Richard Norman, and met with people affected by the
deadly tornadoes.
Norman told United Methodist News Service that volunteer teams would
probably continue to work over the next few weekends. “Most of the
homes that were destroyed were mobile homes, so that limits the amount
of cleanup,” he said in a Feb. 27 interview.
Disaster center opened
Carter, Logan and Oklahoma counties were declared eligible for
federal disaster aid on Feb. 15. Oklahoma’s governor also had declared
a state of emergency for 17 counties.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Oklahoma Department of
Emergency Management opened a disaster recovery center Feb. 21 in Lone
Grove. Norman said the center would continue serving people in the
affected counties for the next two to three weeks. United Methodist
volunteers have worked at the center, and school and health kits,
provided by Church World Service and UMCOR, have been distributed there.
Volunteers also have operated through a volunteer center set up by the Assembly of God congregation.
Once the governmental agencies finish their work, unmet needs will
be considered. Norman has served as the Oklahoma Conference's liaison
for Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters, which includes other
emergency responders that have organized relief work in the area.
Whether VOAD creates a long-term recovery committee will depend upon
the wishes of the community, he explained.
‘Remarkable’ response
“I expect there will be numerous families needing help beyond what FEMA will provide,” Gaudreau said.
“The response in the Lone Grove/Ardmore area has been remarkable,”
she added. “The community is truly fortunate to be blessed with a
number of wonderful community and church leaders.”
Donations can be made to Domestic Disaster Response, UMCOR Advance #901670.
*Bloom is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in New York.
News media contact: Linda Bloom, New York, (646) 369-3759 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Related Articles
Recovery center opening in Lone Grove
Lone Grove adjusts to life after tornado
State of emergency declared for 17 Okla. Counties
Resources
UMCOR
Oklahoma Conference
FEMA |