Published: May 20, 2007 12:11 am            

Locals go with Samaritan’s Purse to Greensburg, Ks.

AMERICUS, Ga. — Having been hit by a devastating tornado, the town of Greensburg, Kansas, can use all the help it can get these days, almost like the City of Americus following the March 1 tornado.

Help recently came in the relief of a favor returned from the deadly tornado that hit Americus on March 1, when local businessman Rick Davis, his wife Mary Kathryn and several others went to Greensburg with Samaritan’s Purse to help the residents there clean up from the deadly tornado that hit there several weeks ago.

Samaritan’s Purse is a disaster outreach organization that helps victims through everything from help with repairs to giving them a sense of Christ’s love.

In an interview Friday, Davis described the devastation he witnessed to this town that lost approximately 10 residents in the tornado, and 90 percent of its town.

“The downtown area was completely destroyed,” Davis said. “Every church in the town had major damage.”

Davis said that approximately 80 percent of the structures were “beyond repair,” and will probably have to be bulldozed.

Right down what meteorologists call “Tornado Alley,” the small Kansas community had a 20-minute warning siren that went off warning residents of the impending tornado, Davis said. He added that a majority of the homes had basements or storm shelters that enabled homeowners to ride out the storm safely.

“The school suffered major damage,” Davis said. He added the people of Greensburg were much like those in Americus, “good hard working people, with a lot of the same spirit.”

“It’s going to be a tough few years for them,” he said.

The group that also consisted of Bryan Myers, youth pastor at Central Baptist Church; Paul Peters with Weyerhauser, and Andy Lindsey with the Georgia Department of Transportation, stayed in Haviland, Kansas, which is approximately 9 miles east of Greensburg.

With her elite cooking skills, Davis’ wife Mary Kathryn helped with kitchen crews feeding the hungry and weary volunteers, Davis said.

In going on the trip, Davis said one of the volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse named “Tex” had a sister who lived in Haviland, and the group was worried about how she fared during the tornado.

He said there were volunteers from churches in Wisconsin and Texas.

Davis said that approximately 65 percent of the residents in Greensburg were senior citizens.

“Change is tough on that generation,” Davis said.

He said later in the interview these people had lost their homes, their medication, and all their vehicles.

“We saw it in their eyes,” he said. “They were tired and weary.” He also said that residents were evacuated to approximately 30 to 40 miles away, and now there is the indecision about whether or not to rebuild.

“It’s very important to get the schools back there,” he said.

In the days immediately following the March 1 tornado, Davis first got on with the American Red Cross (ARC) and then he went to Samaritan’s Purse that was situated at his family’s church, Central Baptist Church.

Then, it was off to Greensburg, in what Davis called “repaying the good deed Samaritan’s Purse did for Americus.”

“Our focus in Americus was clearing away trees to get to the homes to do necessary repairs,” Davis said. “There, the focus is clearing away the trees to get to the home, go through the rubble, and tear down the structure.”

He said he thought that a lot of the residents may not come back.

“We were there for three days, and we went through three houses a day,” he said. “There was a lot of different relief on the ground.”

He added the town was under martial law for relief purposes and that a curfew was established.

In helping the victims of a devastation, volunteers with Samaritan’s Purse also make solid friendships, Davis said.

“It was good to see the guys from Samaritan’s Purse and see their ministry,” he said.

Davis said at the end of the cleaning, each homeowner receives prayer and a Bible.

He said March 1 tornado has made Central Baptist a “more confident body in carrying out what God would have us do.”

Davis said he wants to encourage those who want to do something for Greensburg to volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse by going to the website, www.samaritanspurse.org.

Davis said the organization has gotten a significant amount of volunteers to go back, if that happens. He said his church wants to either hold a fundraiser for the victims or take a group back to do a building project.



Genie Collins writes for the Americus (Ga.) Times-Recoder.

        

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