by The Very Rev. Canon Michael Bamberger and the Ven. Russ Oechsel 

At the invitation of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis, we visited the area affected by the March 2, 2012 tornadoes, rated EF-4 (second most destructive). This storm left a swath of death and destruction approximately 49 miles long and up to half a mile wide. Eleven people were killed and dozens more were injured. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed and hundreds more were damaged.  

We were immediately struck by the scale of the devastation. Whole communities were destroyed. While cleanup efforts have been ongoing, debris and evidence of what were once homes, buildings, and vehicles were everywhere. Yet a robust recovery effort is already underway. Under the auspices of a long-term recovery group formed within days of the tornado--March2Recovery--eight new homes are already under construction and many more are being repaired.

Using the Henryville Community Church as a base, groups of volunteers are arriving from all over the country to assist in the recovery. The diversity and interfaith spirit struck us as remarkable. There are Jewish and Muslim communities from Louisville, Kentucky, who come up every weekend to work together side by side with Christians of every persuasion. Clearly there is a need for volunteers in rebuilding, donations of money, and prayers. The Episcopal Relief & Development website is a starting place for those wanting to join the effort.

Accompanied by Kathy Copas, Coordinator for Communication and Evangelism in the Diocese of Indianapolis, we made contact with community leaders and survivors. Pastor Rich Cheek of Henryville Community Church has been a central figure since the first moments after the event. He told us of a vision to not only replace what the people of the five affected counties had lost, but also to improve the quality of life there. Prior to the tornado, the local food bank had been serving 2,000 people a month. As in many disasters, low income individuals and families took the brunt of the damage. An estimated 40% of the people affected were uninsured and ineligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Small Business Agency (SBA) assistance.

During our visit, we met with the clergy and lay leaders of the three closest Episcopal congregations --Christ Episcopal Church in Madison, St. Paul's Church in Jeffersonville, and St. Paul's Church in New Albany. They immediately began efforts for relief and were quickly joined by the other 43 congregations in the Diocese of Indianapolis as well as parishes throughout the Episcopal Church.

As the recovery effort gains pace, the need for staff housing has emerged. In conjunction with Episcopal Relief & Development, the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis has applied for a grant to address this need. Initially, housing will be rented while the diocese builds a permanent structure, working with the Henryville Community Church. After the recovery effort is concluded, the permanent structure will serve the larger community as emergency housing for people needing refuge from personal calamities--fires, domestic violence, and incarceration of family members. The grant request is envisioned as a way to care for the caregivers, serve the most vulnerable, and transform the community after the recovery is achieved.

by Wade H. Chestnut, Diocese Disaster Coordinator Diocese of North Carolina 

The morning of Saturday, April 16, 2011 was a beautiful spring morning - perfect for being outside, planting flowers, mowing the lawn or having a picnic with neighbors.  However, shortly after noon, the sky became overcast and the local television stations began to interrupt 'normal programming' with weather alerts of possible tornadoes headed to the area. Tornadoes? In central North Carolina?  Shortly after 3:45p.m., they arrived.

According to the National Weather Service, a tornado cut a path over a quarter-mile wide for 63- miles through central North Carolina that afternoon.  By the time the tornado hit the Stony Brook Mobile Home Park in Raleigh, the winds were greater than 110 mph, strong enough to toss some mobile homes 30 to 50 feet when the tie-downs snapped from their anchor points.  Breaking trees like toothpicks, the tornado came across a mobile home where two brothers and a cousin, ages 3, 8 and 9, had taken cover in the bathtub with the mother standing in the doorway with a 6 month old baby.  The trailer was hit, taking the lives of the 4 children.

Ninety-five percent of Stony Brook residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. Many struggle with language barriers and documentation, thus facing extra challenges in accessing government assistance. This was already a vulnerable community before the storm, so this damage and the deaths posed particular challenges to recovery. When the tornado hit the 141-unit park that day, only 10 homes escaped damage.  Approximately 25 were destroyed beyond repair and would need to be replaced.  The more than 100 remaining homes would become the focus of volunteers over the course of the year.