The Work Begins.

Thursday morning, we drove into Brookport, to the site of the First Baptist Church. The damage from the tornado has been mostly cleaned up by this time, but looking at the photo below, we can see that this area was heavily damaged by the storm.

Aerial photo of the damage just after the tornado,
just next to the church we are working near. 

Our work project for the morning was the foundation of a three unit home for seniors being constructed on the property next door. We found out that one of the displaced seniors whose home was destroyed is staying in a 8' x 20' shipping container, outfitted with windows and a small HVAC unit. This was all he and his family could do with the insurance money they received, and the community believes that they can do better for him.

The foundation had been poured, and cinder blocks laid to the height of the flood plain of the area, and our task was to fill in around the walls so the ground would be flat for drainage. The dirt was full of clay and concrete debris, and the work was back breaking in the heat. Our team did an amazing job, and people gave it their all in body, mind and spirit.

Several workers filling in the trench
around the foundation walls.

Some of the tools we got to use were the usual shovels and rakes for smoothing out the ground. A pick axe came handy to chop up the large clay chunks as well. Then, of course, were the power tools! We used drills to put holes in the sill boards and wrenches to attach it to the studs embedded in the concrete. Some of us grabbed power drills and screwdrivers to help beef up a material rack, storing lumber and piping for this and other recovery construction projects. And of course, the power tool of power tools, we had access to an end loader and backhoe! This came in handy for moving larger amounts of dirt to the general areas were it was needed, but the bulk of the work still had to be done by hand.

An end loader was popular to watch, though a lot of work
still remained in moving the dirt where it needed to go.

After lunch, some of our team headed to individual homes for some detail work. We installed a water heater in one home, worked on flooring in another, and did some finishing work in painting yet another which was already occupied. This was a welcomed change for the lucky laborers who got this last, air conditioned home.

Masking and painting, this was the final phase before the
homeowner, Francis, would make this house a home.

For dinner, we drove to Walker Hall for a wonderful dinner. We invited Frances, whose house we worked on, to join us. She shared the story of hearing storm warnings, hiding in her bathroom (homes in a flood plain don't have basements), hearing what she described as a freight train driven over her home, and come out to see her neighborhood flattened. Her home was damaged, but still standing, while those just across the street were gone. Francis' cousin was one of those killed in the storm that day, and her husband is still in rehab from the injuries he suffered, hoping to come home soon, though he will be alone.

Some of our work team sharing a photo op with Francis.

Our second day of work promises to be taxing, as the temperatures are projected to rise to the mid-90's, and heat index could be in the triple digits.

Keep us in your prayers for safe laboring, along with the people of Brookport who have much recovery yet to do.