Tharran Gaines, MODR Public Information Team
It’s not often that two different disasters hit the same community in the same year. However, that is exactly what happened in Glenallen, Missouri. In April, it was a tornado that struck the area, killing five people, injuring several others and leaving a trail of devastation behind. MODR teams were on the ground in a matter of days providing assistance.
Just a few months later, in the middle of the night on August 14, the community suffered a second disaster. This one came in the form of a flash flood caused by a levee break. Fortunately, Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief teams were once again back on site to bring Help, Hope and Healing.
“Almost everyone we helped with flood recovery had also suffered some damage from the tornado,” said John Mohler who recently spent a week in Glenallen as the Incident Commander (white hat). “To make matters worse, some of the homeowners we helped had just gotten a new roof or finished other repairs when the flood hit.”
“In addition to all the volunteers we had helping with flood recovery, we had a great support team that was cooking meals and manning the shower and laundry unit,” said Joe Dayringer, who served as the Incident Commander during MODR’s final week on site. “We also had assistance from a team from Illinois, as well as four untrained walk-in volunteers.”
All total, MODR teams completed 18 work orders during their time in the area, while five more were completed by others. One of the greatest highlights, however, involved a homeowner who wasn’t even affected by the flooding.
“I had sent out a chaplain and assessor team, and a neighbor lady at one of the sites started talking to them,” Mohler explains. “They asked her if she knew who Jesus was, and she did not. They then asked her if they could explain Him to her, which they did, and she prayed to accept Christ. She had no flood damage in her house, but was willing to hear about Jesus Christ.”