When a Tornado Strikes Close to Home

When a Tornado Strikes Close to Home

Tornado Relief Efforts Draw College, Network Volunteers

Dayton-area residents were stunned when powerful tornadoes ripped through the region the night of May 27. The devastation was severe: Storms downed trees, destroyed hundreds of houses and apartment buildings, and knocked out power to 77,000 residents. Weather service investigators estimated that 15 tornadoes struck west central Ohio that night, and some of the hardest hit neighborhoods were in Dayton. One tornado had winds topping 140 mph; another swept across Interstate 75, leaving a trail of debris that had to be cleared with snowplows.

Local volunteers began mobilizing immediately, providing food, water, household items, and clean-up in the days and weeks following the disaster. Among them were students, faculty, and staff from Kettering College, who teamed up with local churches and others from Kettering Health Network.

Twenty-one students from the radiologic sciences and imaging program’s class of 2020 volunteered at two disaster sites. The devastation was shocking, said radiology instructor Idamae Jenkins.

“We were clearing debris near a hotel that had been badly damaged and realized that glass from the hotel windows had been embedded in the lawn,” Jenkins said. “Tree trunks had been ripped from the ground, and several telephone poles were down. Structures and cars were smashed. It felt like we were in another country.”

Senior Stacy Haines organized the outing. “Even though we are an extremely busy group with 24 hours of clinicals and 12 hours of classes each week, we have the heart and the will to help out whenever needed,” Haines said. “We couldn’t think of any better way to spend a day out of clinicals than to help our neighbors.”

Faculty, staff, and students from the enrollment services department and occupational therapy program partnered with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church to assemble and deliver meals in Trotwood, where tornadoes had displaced hundreds of people from their homes.

“What really breaks my heart is that some of these tornadoes aff ected neighborhoods where people were already struggling,” said Jonathan Blackburn, an admissions counselor at Kettering College. “These people are going to require a lot of help to get back on their feet.”

In the three weeks after the storms, about 90 volunteers from Kettering Health Network, including many from the College, helped St. Margaret’s to prepare and deliver 6,500 meals.

“The seemingly simple meals were huge for families who lost everything or were living without water and power to their homes,” said Courtney Haas, missions coordinator at Kettering Health Network. “The groups and individuals from Kettering College who took part in this initiative were a great support.”

FEATURED

1 | The devastation was severe—the storms downed 1,400 trees, and destroyed hundreds of houses and apartment buildings.

2 | Jonathan Blackburn, an admissions counselor at Kettering College, helps pack meals to hand out to those affected by the Memorial Day weekend tornadoes.

3 | The enrollment services department and student life team partnered with Kettering Health Network missions department to pack meals one afternoon to help provide meals to those in need.