Hope rises as Joplin rebuilds housing

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On a high point of Joplin, Mo., a steady wind blew tirelessly, stirring up dust from dirt and rubble. No buildings, trees or shrubs are there any more to block its path.

It was wind -- from a massive tornado many, many times more powerful -- that turned a bustling urban area into a almost desolate grid of streets leading seemingly to nowhere.

An area mostly barren with dirt, a few tree stubs and occasional piles of rubble dominates the landscape when looking out from the elevated area near what was once St. Mary Church in Joplin, Mo.

A bulldozer and tall metal cross -- formerly part of the entrance of the church and today all that remains -- now are on the edge of a huge hole that had been the focal point of the parish. A short walk away is the parish cemetery, with large headstones tossed about indiscriminately.

Nearly five months ago, on May 22, an area that included perhaps a fourth of the city was flattened by a tornado. Some 160 fatalities, hundreds of injuries and 8,000 severely damaged or destroyed homes and businesses resulted.

Yet a closer survey from that spot near the church shows that most of the rubble has been cleared. Popping up across the barren area are a few homes being rebuilt from scratch.

In other areas where the tornado destroyed some homes, damaged others and missed a few, cleanup and repairs are under way.

Volunteer groups from outside Joplin have made a presence, pitching in to help, especially targeting people who had been struggling to make ends meet and had been uninsured or underinsured.

The need is massive, but spending just a week in Joplin, Mo., doing construction makes a difference not only for the tornado-ravaged area but for the volunteers themselves.

A group of 15 St. Louisans that includes several members of Queen of All Saints Parish in Oakville and their friends brought carpentry and other construction skills to work on three homes in the southwest Missouri community Oct. 2-5 in conjunction with a Catholic Charities outreach effort.

The St. Louis Sluggers have made a number of trips since 2006 to the Gulf Coast to help provide housing for people whose homes had been damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Resilient

The people of Joplin aren't just standing by idly waiting for others to help.

"I have seen nothing but hope, joy and strength," said Lisa Lamar, who was wearing a T-shirt made for her family that referred to the tornado and proclaimed "Jesus lives, so do we." She was watching a drum corps from the school that had fanned out into the streets. The sound echoed through a neighborhood where volunteers and others were busy with reconstruction. Lamar and others were thrilled to have their attention diverted for a while, and the students were glad to focus on their music and pleasing an audience.

"The people of this community are resilient and strong in their faith. There's a bulldog tenacity, faith in God and each other," Lamar said. "Our sense of community is our greatest strength."

She praised the schools in Joplin for fostering a sense of belonging, peace and strength.

Lamar's home was damaged but livable, and her family housed relatives who lost their homes and cars. Those family members are rebuilding, but it takes time, she said.

Most impressive, she said, is how the people of Joplin have reached out to each other. "There's not a lot of 'pitty parties' going on. We'll make it."

She said it is hard to find words to express the gratitude for the volunteers from outside Joplin who have given their time to help. "The love and generosity of the volunteers has moved our city."

Help still arrives

Jared Sanders, whose home escaped serious damage, lives on a street where most of the other homes were severely damaged. He said the help has remained even after the tragedy faded from the news.

The impact resulted in a loss of life and serious injuries, but "I know for a lot of people it (the tornado) strengthened their faith. The community came together to work and to get through it," Sanders said.

Just down from Sanders' home is one that was being rebuilt by the St. Louis Sluggers. Owned by an 83-year-old woman who was uninsured, the home was a split level and is being converted to one level. The foundation is intact and a portion of the structure, but the rest is new construction. The St. Louisans used saws, hammers and nail guns to secure room frames. They concentrated on it as if the home was one they would be living in.

Another home being rebuilt was knocked down to its foundation.

Pitching in

Mike Ogolin of St. Joseph Parish in Imperial said the work is no big deal. It is natural to give back to the community – the local area and outside the area, he said. "I have an opportunity to help somebody less fortunate than me and do something useful in my time off from work."

John Catarinicchia of Queen of All Saints Parish, a postal worker, said, "It's time for me to give back. I've been blessed with so much."

Eric Treptow of Mary Mother of the Church Parish in South County urged others to pitch in. "It's really fulfilling ... It's a change of pace, and it's nice to meet the folks."

Terry Werner of Queen of All Saints Parish, whose career has been in computers, said that "these guys are so experienced. They're quality people."

He accompanied the group to Mississippi last year and would like to do one or two trips a year, he said.

Rosie Butterfield volunteers to cook for volunteers, including the St. Louis group, staying at Royal Heights United Methodist Church, which has housed volunteers since the tornado. The volunteers poured in "like ants on an ant hill," she said. Now, with the reconstruction phase the volunteers are needed just as much, she said.

"It's going to rebuild," she said of Joplin. "It's just going to take time."

How you can help Joplin

Although donations poured into Catholic Charities initiatlly, ongoing needs are expected to soon exhaust that money. A critical point will be reached in November 2012 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be required to remove its temporary housing trailers.

The tornado took out much of the city’s older, affordable rental housing south of downtown Joplin, and there probably will be little rebuilt to replace it. Catholic Charities is working on a long-range plan to build affordable housing, as it still is trying to rebuild lives one at a time.

In addition to the critical need for cash donations, skilled volunteer labor is sought to help repair and rebuild homes.

Cash donations can be sent to Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, 601 S. Jefferson St., Springfield, MO 65806. People wishing to make in-kind donations of goods or volunteer labor should contact Gabe Tischler at the Joplin Donation and Distribution Center, 113 E. 9th St., Joplin, MO (417) 616-9314, or (417) 499-2920.

Sluggers

About 30 people have been part of the St. Louis Sluggers Disaster Recovery Team since the first group of four people traveled to the Gulf Coast in 2006 to work with faith-based organizations in helping homeowners return to their houses that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Thirteen men and two women from the Queen of All Saints group went to Joplin this month for a mission trip to help the victims of the May 22 tornado. They worked on three homes being overseen by Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and stayed at Royal Heights Methodist Church.

Joplin was the Sluggers’ 12th mission trip since February 2006, when they aided victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The trips began when Jerry Mueller, who has been on all 12, saw a bulletin item from a church noting the need for volunteers in Mississippi. They have worked with Catholics, Presbyterians, Lutherans and others.

“There’s still tons of work to do there,” said Eric Treptow, a member of the Sluggers, noting one person who they helped has returned to his home after five years of finding temporary quarters.

The Sluggers told of one family with three girls who had been sleeping on boxes. The family, which cooked “amazing” dishes for the volunteers, would hold hands with their guests and say a prayer, bringing tears to the guests’ eyes. The girls’ father died three weeks before the group arrived, Mueller said, “probably worked himself to death rebuilding their homemthat had 8 feet of water inside. He was a forensic surveyor. In his tool box I found a citation and medal from the FBI thanking him for his work on the Oklahoma City Bombing Investigation. It gave me chills.”

In Joplin, one of the people being helped is an 83-year-old woman on a limited income who had no insurance and just $15,000 in federal disaster assistance. Another homeowner was uninsured due to a mix up after a death in the family. A third home in a lower-income neighborhood was damaged when big chunks from the high school building landed on the home. Several men couldn’t lift the chunks that traveled six blocks.