Having grown up in Puerto Rico before moving to Pennsylvania, Joyce Fernandez had never witnessed the aftereffects of a tornado. Granted, the damage from hurricanes in her native country can be pretty devastating; but there’s often advanced warning, allowing people to prepare.
That wasn’t the case in Perryton, Texas, where a tornado killed three people injured at least 75 more and destroyed as many as 200 houses. In many cases, the only thing volunteers were able to do was remove debris and help homeowners salvage and box up any belongings they could find.
As one of six members of the Missouri Baptist Collegiate Disaster Relief team and one of those volunteers, Fernandez not only saw the effects of a tornado at their worst, but was able to help some of the homeowners clean up afterward.
“The summer internship has been a really good experience for me,” she said. “It’s exposed me to a lot of different aspects of disaster relief. We’ve been involved in rebuilding projects in Missouri, helped with the cleanup in Texas and worked on renovations in St. Louis, so it’s been a well-balanced experience,” she added, noting that the team also received training in mass feeding and chainsaw operations.
Ironically, Fernandez said that her involvement with MODR has not only helped her spiritually, but professionally, since she is due to graduate in December with a degree in homeland security and emergency management at the Pennsylvania College of Technology.
“The people in Texas were very grateful for the help and it was wonderful being able to help them and put our faith into action at the same time,” she added. “The whole experience really made an impression on me. There were people who lost everything, yet they were making sure we had water, Gatorade, ice and that sort of thing.
“Since the tornado hit some of the poorest areas the hardest, and I was the only one on the team who spoke Spanish, I was blessed to be able to translate and assist in that way, as well,” Fernandez said.
Worth the effort
Brian Kinney, another collegiate intern and a student at Lincoln University, said he also gained a lot of emotional strength from the experience and a connection with survivors. Kinney, who came at the urging of his college ministry pastor, admitted that working in the mid-90-degree temperatures involved a lot of labor, helping people pack, moving things, cleaning things up and moving a lot of debris, but insists it has been worth the effort.
“My pastor wanted me to sign up because he thought it would be a good fit for me to learn more about my faith and help me spread the gospel. That’s why I’m here,” he said. “From talking to storm victims, I found strength in them. I know what it’s like to lose everything overnight. I was homeless at one time, too.”
Moment of terror and destruction
One of those storm victims was Monica Ramirez, who was on the top floor of her small two-story home altering a wedding dress when the hail started. She said she stopped working and picked up her phone to record a video. However, as she looked out the window — expecting to record the hailstorm — she instead saw a deadly tornado fill the screen.
The rest of the video revealed a moment of terror and destruction as the tornado shook the home. At that point, the video went black. Although she survived the ordeal, the tornado swept away a greenhouse and her garage and stripped siding from her home.
Bethany Waggoner, another Missouri intern from Willow Springs, said her grandma was instrumental in getting her involved in the 2023 Missouri Baptist Collegiate program, which gave her a new perspective on life.
“I was kind of familiar with Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief through my church,” she said. “But I didn’t know they had a summer internship program until my grandma showed me an article in The Pathway. So, I looked into it and decided it was something I would like to do.”
Like Fernandez, Waggoner was impressed with the way the Perryton, Texas, tornado victims responded to their help … caring for the team as much as the team cared for them.
“I had been involved in cleaning up limbs and debris after storms,” she said, “but I had never been in an area where there were so many houses totally destroyed. Yet, whether the people lost their home or not, they were constantly making sure we had enough water and food. So, it was very eye-opening.”
Waggoner says one of the events that had the most impact on her was helping a homeowner whose home was scheduled to be demolished.
“They had until the end of the day to get everything that could be salvaged out of the house,” she explained. “Fortunately, we were able to go in and help box up everything that could be saved. Had we not been there to help, they might have lost even more than they did.”
As leader of the collegiate team and Missouri Baptist Collegiate Disaster Relief coordinator, Aaron Werner said he was equally touched by the damage in Perryton.
“It took us nearly 11 hours to get there,” he related. “And driving down, we went through some beautiful country. Then to see the contrast between that and the devastation we witnessed was simply disheartening. To make matters worse, the tornado hit in some of the poorer areas where the buildings and mobile homes were least able to withstand it.
“We saw areas where the houses were completely destroyed,” he continued. “There were also areas where the street signs were still there, but the house numbers were gone. Yet, people were willing to point out addresses and direct us to those who needed help.”
Ways to help
For more information on how you can help, check with your church, association or state Baptist convention to find out how they are contributing to ongoing relief efforts in Missouri, your state and beyond. To contact your state convention for more information, click here.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tharran Gaines and originally published by the Pathway.
