3 Months Later

It has been three months since the devastating tornado ripped through London, KY. In this post I wanted to share an update that our association has been a part of over the last few months, and share what I'm seeing as the big needs still yet. Our clean-up efforts went amazingly well, churches, and the community have stepped up in big ways early on to assist the survivors with the initial clean up. At one point around the first week there were over a thousand volunteers in Sunshine Hills cleaning up debris. During the summer months additional volunteer teams have come and served. Our association hosted teams from South Carolina, Missouri, North Carolina, Alabama, Ohio, in addition to all the teams from around our state.

We are currently assisting 5 families in their plan for rebuild. One of those families has the house framed and the roof trusses are going up this week. Another family has their block foundation laid and is ready for Floor joist. One family is getting the block completed on their mobile home and should be able to move in another week or so. Another family who didn't have insurance is getting his house started through the Mennonite builders. And yet another home owner is still fighting with insurance to get enough coverage to begin repairs.

Families are still finding themselves in three categories, 1. Started rebuilding, 2. Not yet, but soon, 3. Still fighting with insurance. There is a lot of frustration with families in this process. Some families wonder if people have forgotten about them, and have mentally moved on to the next news story. Others wonder why the relief centers have closed when so many are really just now needing the extra resources.

I want to offer some tips on what you can do now 3 months later.

1. Listen to the survivor's stories. Actively listen to their frustrations and not try to one up their story with one of your stories. Listen, to them as they share their plan moving forward.

2. Adopt a family. Maybe you or your church group would work with one family or two and meet their needs and help them in their plan of recovery. This will give you an opportunity to make a difference in a family's life by discovering and meeting their needs.

3. You can continue to give to credible ministry groups that are truly assisting families. There are a lot of new non-profits that have popped up since the tornado. Some are doing good things, some; its hard to say. Consider partnering with a credible ministry group that is meeting needs.

4. Continue to pray! Pray that families find favor with insurance companies and can start their rebuild efforts. Pray that survivors can overcome the trauma of losing everything. Pray that through this tragedy they find the hope of Jesus, and place their trust in him as their protector and Savior.