Category: Disaster Response

Reports indicate that the tornado which hit the Cameron/Chetek area was rated a F2, meaning they sustained winds going up to 122-150 mph. There were 38 homes destroyed and around 20 damaged. East of Clear Lake, nearly 30 miles West from the epicenter of the storm, was severely affected. One homeowner had a lot of tin strewn in his pasture and on his fields. Another one had a large metal shed which had its roof blown off, leaving all the tin in the woods about 1/4 mile hanging from the trees. The raging storm brought down trees as well. A clean up crew was organized to assist in this area.

This past weekend, volunteers gathered in the Cameron/Chetek area to help out on the fields by picking up debris left from the storm. Even though there was steady rain on Saturday, over 700 volunteers responded to the call. On Sunday, some volunteers provided help to a church member and her son who were impacted by the storm significantly. They witnessed several downed trees and so much brush, along with a broken down fence in the horse pasture. They did a lot of chainsawing and piled up tree limbs which were hauled away by a tractor.

There were other volunteers that assisted at the Multi Agency Resource Center by supplying food and water to the affected community. Some of the donations that were set up for the survivors were used to get the items they needed. In addition to providing for the survivors, they also helped supply meals to the volunteers working on the scene, along with Salvation Army. The volunteers also offered emotional support to the survivors by hugging them and listening to them.

“I want to thank our certified chain saw operators for responding to the need and working very well taking the job at hand very seriously. Your work is very much appreciated. I especially want to thank our local ACS leaders. You have done an outstanding job and with out you we would not have accomplished what we did,” said Alice Garrett, ACS Wisconsin Director.

A tornado hit the State of Wisconsin on late Tuesday afternoon, May 16. The tornado swept through the Cameron/Chetek area destroying a mobile home park and also a nearby turkey farm. The disaster left 25 injured and one fatality; and several mobile homes completely wiped out. Currently, the first responders are doing what needs to be done. There are reports of several tornado touchdowns around the affected area, so there may be other regions also that will need assistance with the Recovery efforts. Wisconsin ACS Director, Alice Garrett, will be in contact with local authorities and WI VOAD to assess the needs of the communities. Please let us remember all those who have been affected by this tornado and also other disasters in the past few weeks.

A four-year-old was found unscathed at the bottom of the “dogpile” in the bathtub, when the devastating tornadoes swept across Canton city in Texas last week. She was protected by her two older sisters who covered her while being struck repeatedly by flying debris, which included chunks of asphalt. Their dad was hugging the toilet when the tornado hit, and both he and the toilet went flying into the air about 130 feet and landed in the yard. He suffered nine broken ribs and a concussion. Mom was away from home at the time, but on the way back she found it extremely difficult to gain entry into their area. The family had lost their home, their barn, and three vehicles. Although bruised and battered from this deadly tornado, they were most thankful to be alive and to have each other, and are on the road to recovery now.

Texas Conference ACS provided assistance to them by delivering food, cleaning items, yard tools, personal care items, pet supplies, and paper products. Besides this family, the Texas ACS has served over 300 other families at the Distribution Center so far, and 250 families at remote drop off locations. They have also sent yard tools, gloves, snacks, trash bags, sunscreen, insect repellant, Gatorade, and bottled water with the clean up crews going out daily. Let us continue to remember the survivors of this tragedy, and also the volunteers that continue to serve and cater to the needs of the community.

The Canton, TX community is in the process of recovery from seven tornadoes that struck the area on late Saturday evening, April 29, 2017. Five deaths have been reported, and over 50 individuals have been injured. One of the tornadoes was on the ground almost 50 miles! The Texas Conference ACS is operating a Collection/Distribution center at the Van Zandt County Fairgrounds in the judging barn. Donated goods are continuing to come in, and the tornado-struck community is extremely appreciative of the much-needed emergency supplies. ACS Volunteers from Terrell, Athens, Mesquite, and Jefferson Academy churches, along with many other community volunteers, are dedicating their time to helping those who have been affected by this tragedy.

A Multi-Agency Recovery Center was set up on March 10 and 11 at First Baptist Church in Oak Grove. Several agencies joined together on these two days to be of service to the survivors of the tornado. They offered insurance information, legal services, emergency financial assistance, food stamp replacement services, health and wellness services, and more. In addition to these services, childcare and warm meals were also available. Along with Adventist Community Services, some of the other organizations that participated were the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, United Way 2-1-1, Catholic Charities of Kansas City – St. Joseph, Children’s Disaster Services, ICNA Relief USA, and many more.

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