By Susan Sandvig, MODR Information Team

Everyone knows what the combination of wind and ice can do. Tree limbs and power lines that are already loaded down with a layer of ice can come down quickly when the wind picks up. Such was the case when MODR teams were called to Perryville, Missouri, after a devastating ice storm hit that area in early January. Thousands of Perry County residents found themselves without power as ice-covered branches and power lines caused outages. Area residents also needed assistance removing downed trees and branches. To make matters worse, the area received eight inches of snow shortly after the ice storm, briefly delaying the cleanup effort.

  Leading that response was Tom Malott, Southeast Missouri MODR Regional Coordinator, whose team responded to no less than 131 work requests from area residents. Of those received, 107 were completed in 17 days by 33 volunteers traveling to Perryville from all over the state. Malott noted that while the work was very physically demanding, it was made even more so by the low temperatures, high wind and icy conditions. For the safety of the volunteers, team members took shifts, rotating in and out of the cold. In addition to assisting in debris cleanup, volunteers brought hope to area residents by providing meals and childcare at the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC).

Acting as the strategic command station for the projects, First Baptist Church of Perryville provided housing, meals and a staging area for volunteers. According to Pastor Logan Bennet, the MODR leadership and volunteers came together as a team to accomplish a great amount of work in a relatively short amount of time.

“I was quite impressed at how fast the team came together,” Bennet said. “We did not expect the number of volunteers we received,” he recalled. “During the time they were here, I witnessed the love of the Lord, and the love for their neighbors. Each volunteer was courteous and had a heart to serve, exhibiting exemplary Christian character. I do not know what we would done if they had not come.”