Two Minutes to Disaster

SPECIAL REPORT: TORNADO RELIEF

Debbie Pounds didn't have a good feeling about the storm. Newscasters had only bad things to say. She and her husband, Richard, were weary from the crazy weather. Central Oklahoma had endured a seemingly unending battering from tornados. Seven touched down on May 19th, one of them an EF-4. The next day, an EF-5 tornado ripped through an elementary school. Many wondered when it would end.

Thankfully, Debbie was able to leave work earlier than normal on May 31. The last thing she wanted was to get caught in the storm. She called Richard and told him to gather their medication and put it in the stairwell—the place they normally go during severe storms.

Once home, Debbie felt secure in their ICF home. ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) buildings are constructed to withstand the worst natural disasters. Richard and Debbie were glued to the TV until they lost power. "Like true Okies," said Debbie, "we stood on the back porch and watched the storm." Central Oklahoma is a lot like western Kansas. It's open flatland so you can see storms from a long way off.

This storm was moving southeast—away from Richard and Debbie's home. But suddenly it changed direction and headed straight toward them.

"We've got about two minutes!" Richard yelled to his wife.

By the time they got inside and under the stairwell, the first wave hit. The reinforced concrete used to build the house virtually soundproofed it, so Richard and Debbie could only hear debris hitting the outside walls.

It didn't seem too bad, so Richard looked out the door to see what was happening. That's when the second wave hit. Winds of more than 200 mph peeled the metal roof off their house and dropped over five inches of water inside in a matter of minutes.

The dwelling that was supposed to be a safe haven for Richard and Debbie became a house of terror. Rain-soaked sheet rock began falling off the walls. The Pounds feared the house might fall in on them. They grabbed garbage bags and tried to gather their most precious possessions. In a short span of time, everything they had worked so hard for was lost.

It's because of people like Richard and Debbie that Rhema sprang into action. Since the string of devastating tornadoes hit, Rhema Bible Church has sent over 370 volunteers to Carney, Shawnee, Newalla, El Reno, and the surrounding countryside to help with the cleanup. Because these areas are remote and hard to reach, they were largely ignored immediately after the storms.

"This is an opportunity for us to give and keep on giving," said Craig W. Hagin, who, with his wife, Mia, has been heading up Rhema's relief effort. "I've driven all over the tornado-ravaged areas [looking for people to help], and I'll keep on driving. It's overwhelming and indescribable how these folks have had their lives torn apart."

An EF-5 tornado basically disintegrates everything in its path. In places where homes were completely destroyed, Rhema's yellow-shirted volunteers went in with plastic totes and helped people sift through the rubble looking for anything that could be salvaged.

Where the tornadoes had passed, downed trees and tree limbs were a common sight. Trees and limbs rested on top of cars, leaned on houses, covered driveways, and blocked roads. Homeowners—many of whom are elderly—were doing their best with little equipment to clear the debris.

Enter Rhema's yellow-shirted chainsaw gang. They attacked the downed trees like termites on wood! The busloads of eager volunteers worked long days to clear debris—a job that would have taken homeowners months to do on their own.

Tears and gratitude were also common. Many of the tornado victims were emotionally drained. Rhema's volunteers not only used their brawn to help with the cleanup, they also were quick to offer prayer and words of encouragement.

"The volunteers have been an absolute Godsend," said Debbie, her voice cracking with emotion. "Everybody has been so wonderful and kind. God bless everybody for their understanding, love, compassion, and prayers. You never realize how much people can help and care until you're actually in that situation."

How You Can Help

To find out more about Rhema's ongoing Oklahoma tornado relief and learn how you can get involved, visit rhema.org/relief. And be sure to watch video footage of the relief effort at khm.com/an4u.