The following post comes from Scottie Stamper, a CBF-endorsed hospice chaplain from Charlotte, N.C. She wrote this post after returning from care-giving in the tornado stricken Moore, Okla. area.
Kings Manor . . . sounds divine, doesn’t it? A little over a month ago, Kings Manor was a street of about 30 homes. Kings Manor is flanked by 6th Ave. on one side and 7th Ave. on the other. At the end of Kings Manor, across Telephone Road, stood the two-story Moore Medical Center.
Google Maps view of Kings Manor, Moore, Okla., before May 20
Today, Kings Manor is left with a few slabs of cement. That’s it. The tornado on May 20 took out brick houses, trees, basketball goals . . . everything. On top of 632 Kings Manor sat a large black refrigerator. The refrigerator was holding up the last piece of roofing trusses.
I guess Frigidaire could start a new marketing campaign related to how strong their refrigerator is . . . light enough to sit atop a house, yet strong enough to hold up the remnants of a roof. Yeah, it doesn’t work for me either.
A view of Kings Manor on June 1, 2013
There is goodnews . . . in the ugliness of the May tornados in Oklahoma, there were overwhelming examples of good-ness. Teams of people from all over the U.S. flooded hotel rooms in and around Moore, Oklahoma. They came in the name of numerous church groups, the American Red Cross, Team Rubicon, the Salvation Army and many others.
Former residents of Kings Manor and surrounding streets were assisted in finding what was left of their possessions . . . pictures, teacups and stuffed animals. Helpers offered food, buckets of bottled water and Gatorade, and pallets of supplies. Gently used clothes and furniture collections were beginning to take shape in fellowship halls, warehouses and corner store parking lots.
Police officers, firefighters, and EMT personnel worked well into a triple digit number of hours for the week, some of whom had experienced the wrath of the tornadoes on their own home. The quick response of organizations was apparent and fulfilling.
On the other hand, there’s bad news too . . . delays and difficulties in dealing/settling with insurance carriers, looters, scrap metal “enthusiasts” unwilling to pay for their collections and people offering to repair brokenness using the phrase, “Let’s see what your insurance will pay” as the answer to, “How much will you charge?”
Unfortunately, these responders were sometimes first on the scene. Sometimes there’s a disaster after the disaster. Needless to say, clear thought processes and decision-making are difficult for residents who’ve just lost everything, except for the clothes on their back.
Now that the initial trauma has dissipated a bit, and most of the skeletal remains of the homes have been bulldozed down to the cement slabs upon which they were built, what’s left to do? Keep sending goodness, and when you think you’ve done your part, give again . . . donate gift cards, send cash and pray.
Donate to groups you trust. Your cash donations will allow residents to buy the things they need—from kitchen utensils, holiday decorations and pet food to new clothes, vehicles and homes. The recovery for Moore and surrounding areas (Little Axe, Bethel Acres, Shawnee and more) is going to take a long, long time.
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Oklahoma, under the leadership of Steve Graham, is committed to the long recovery. Jill Hatcher is serving as the disaster coordinator, ensuring incoming support gets to the places where the needs are greatest. Your support of their efforts through monetary donations will be extremely valuable in addressing the physical needs of this community. Notes of encouragement, gratitude and prayer certainly help in dealing with the emotional and spiritual debris. In your giving, the good wins.