The task of cleaning up your property after a tornado can feel insurmountable; but, with the help of a volunteer group, you can make huge progress in an afternoon.
On May 18, Janet Nixon participated in a tornado cleanup effort in Seminole, Oklahoma. This 12-hour work project required work gloves, bottles of water, energy and enthusiasm.
According to Janet
“One of the properties we cleaned up was where an elderly couple, 80-90 year olds, lived. During the tornado, he was in the bathroom and she was in the hall trying to get to the bathroom. The roof was completely gone. Her son said the winds had her feet in the air pulling on her. Just as she thought she couldn’t hold on any longer, it dropped her. There was a lot of debris there. The son said the insurance co. didn’t want anyone removing anything from inside the house, so we worked outside. I gathered bank statements (in envelopes with checks) from all over a pasture behind their house. We couldn’t see where the roof was. I could kind of tell the path because of the multitude of shingles, but nothing large was left. The son said someone 5-10 miles away called to say they had found a bank statement in their yard! Roof completely gone and everything trashed, but we could stand outside and see inside a closet where very clean, neatly pressed shirts were hanging. And could see into the kitchen the dishes neatly stacked in a doorless cabinet. Isn’t that weird??? I found an antique embroidery hoop of his mom’s and an antique tool (I think a come-along) that was his dad’s. The son was grateful to get them and receive our help.”
This community service was made possible through NextMark‘s community service program.