| A Reservist's Story... |
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Posted: Saturday, May 3, 2008 11:19 am
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Tornados… Floods… Hurricanes…
Many times we are asked, “What does a Hope Force Reservist do in times like this?”
Continue reading for an account of what one of our HFI Reservists, Betty Lynn Duley, experienced recently during her deployment…
On February 6, 2008, a series of tornadoes struck five southern states causing at least 52 deaths, 150 injuries, and considerable property damage. Hope Force, International quickly responded to one of the hardest hit counties in Middle Tennessee, offering 717 hours of volunteer hours of food services, spiritual and emotional care .
Macon County received a direct hit from a deadly EF4 tornado that cut a ½ mile swath through the countryside, killing thirteen people and injuring scores. Hope Force Reservists were quickly on the ground with two Salvation Army canteens ministering to the survivors by early Wednesday morning, February 7th.
One can only imagine the range of emotions when responders and victims came to grips with a disaster of this magnitude. Betty Lynn Duley, one of our Hope Force Reservists, in an email to Cherie Minton, said of her experiences:
“No words can actually convey the destruction, the loss of life and property in this tight knit, rural community where families have known each other for generations. One could see the shock and brokenness of loss. We met and talked with the people who had returned after the storm to salvage what they could of their belongings and to offer help to their neighbors. We became aware of an inner strength and a determination to survive displayed by the locals. Still the loss and ugly devastation was overwhelming.
One elderly gentleman drove up and stopped at our canteen. Upon our offer of hot coffee and comforting conversation – he started to sob. Everything was gone - his home and all he had built there over a lifetime had been blown away and destroyed by the winds. No pictures, no evidence of a family history, no favorite coffee cup or gift - all gone. An empty lot was all that memorialized where his home had stood.”
Click here for the rest of the story...
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