EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — There is an outpouring of support for Edwardsville, nearly a week after a tornado hit that community.
The volunteers even include those from out of state, as people come into the Metro East to lend a helping hand.
When John Hall first stepped foot in the Country Club Hills subdivision he couldn’t believe his eyes.
“Cars are on end,” said John Hall. “There are windows blown out, and there are a lot of people in a lot of stress. They’re walking around in shell shock.”
Days after the storm passed, it’s still easy to spot the damage.
“The entire neighborhood looked like this on Sunday,” said Hall.
Samaritan's Purse is doing its part to make sure the people who live here are back on their feet.
“We’re here to help them cleanup but we’re really here for them,” said Hall.
Each deployment is a bit different for Samaritan's Purse volunteers.
“Sometimes the homeowners are in a state of shock,” said Hall. “We’re more there to just love on them, listen to them, and let them tell their story, and other times we want to get work done. The priority is them, and the second priority is to get the area picked up.”
Hall admits some homeowners aren’t sure how to react when they lend a helping hand.
“A lot of times they ask us what they owe us,” said Hall. “We tell them there’s no charge. Why are you doing it? Because that’s what we do!”
While their work in Edwardsville is almost done Hall says these volunteers have disaster relief in their DNA.
“We’re heading down to Kentucky and it’s pretty bad down there too,” said Hall. “We’re heading to Mayfield on Friday.”
As for what they expect to find.
“This is pretty bad,” said Hall. “I understand it’s pretty devastating down there too, so I won’t know until I get there.
If you felt inspired by this story to lend a helping hand you can sign up to volunteer for Samaritan's Purse online.
Samaritan’s Purse currently has a number of active deployments in Kentucky and Arkansas.