Under The Influence‘s acclaimed rhythm guitarist, Keven Schneider was sent to Joplin to help restore services after a deadly tornado devastated the famed Route 66 south western Missouri city. The storm struck one month ago on Sunday, May 22 and cut a wide swath that included the bustling commercial district.
Here’s Keven’s first hand account of the aftermath…
“After the tornado, the call went out that Joplin needed equipment, mainly high loaders, to help clear debris. The City of St. Joseph decided to respond, and sent myself and a foreman down the Monday following the tornado to access the situation and determine if their needs had changed. On Tuesday, we dispatched 8 additional personnel, plus two high loaders and two dumptrucks. We also brought chainsaws, fuel, and a generator. We worked 12 hour days (15 hour days if you counted from when we left our hotel in the morning until we got back at night) on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, picking up brush from a devastated residential area and hauling it to a landfill. On Saturday, we helped the City of Joplin Public Works personnel supervise the army of volunteers that were turned loose. There were hundreds, thousands of people that came to Joplin to assist, but, with all of the emergency/constuction equipment on the streets, were kind of kept out of the affected areas. The City of Joplin decided to shut down debris/brush removal efforts during the weekend following the tornado and allow the volunteers to get out into the residential areas and assist residents however they could….mainly sorting through rubble, looking for possessions. With that many people out on the streets, our mission was to answer questions, look for possibly untrained volunteers trying to do something they obviously shouldn’t be doing (like running a chainsaw unsafely), just generally be a presence…..
The devastation was unlike anything I have ever witnessed. You know me, I’m long winded, but I can’t even come up with words to describe it. I’d seen the aftermath of tornadoes before, but nothing on this scale….the pictures and video don’t do it justice, because they can’t show that the horrible damage you’re looking at goes on, block, after block, after block….the hospital shifted FOUR INCHES on it’s foundation. Houses with roofs gone, look in what used to be a window and see clothes hanging in the closet….there was a line of houses obviously built identical….all were missing their south walls, you could see the kitchen area of each one, identical, just different colors and different refrigerators….the house closest to me, I could even see a LOAF OF BREAD ON THE COUNTER, cereal boxes, etc. The whole south side of the house was gone, but that stuff was still on the counter….
What I thought was cool, people were putting American Flags all over.
People tried to keep their sense of humor somewhat, I saw a hand-painted sign in a yard that read, “Have water, need beer!” Another sign in a yard, in amongs the detritus that used to be their possessions, said, “Yard sale, today only! Cheap! Everything must go!”
We came home on Sunday, one week after the tornado. It was something I’ll never forget, but I am glad I was able to go and help.”
Thank you for your service, Keven! Your Band and your community are proud of you!
For a recent article and update of relief efforts…
http://ofallon.patch.com/articles/the-worst-theyve-ever-seen-volunteers-reflect-on-joplin-tornado-2To donate to the Joplin, MO relief efforts please give generously at…
Online
https://gkccfonlinedonations.org/joplin/joplin.asp
Mail
If you would like to donate with a check, please send a check made payable to “Joplin Missouri Disaster Relief Fund” to:
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
1055 Broadway, Suite 130
Kansas City, MO 64105
