Just days after an EF2 tornado with wind speeds reaching 115 mph ripped through parts of Arkansas last week, nearly 20 Union College students quickly jumped into action to help.
Ahead of the 12-hour drive to Hot Springs Village, where trees were uprooted and homes were damaged, students in the International Rescue and Relief program at Union College had little notice before they were on their way to help provide relief.
The program was asked to join crews on the ground in Arkansas on Saturday. The next day, as students were still returning back to campus from spring break, a team was being formed and plans were being made. By 5 a.m. on Monday, the program’s relief trucks were on the road and a group of 19 students was deployed to aid cleanup efforts.
Since then, they’ve been focused on cutting down and removing fallen trees, clearing debris and cleaning up around people's homes, specifically from the backs of houses. If they can get the debris to the road, then the Federal Emergency Management Agency can easily take care of the rest.
Union College students have been cutting down and removing fallen trees, clearing debris and cleaning up around people's homes after a tornado swept through Hot Springs Village, Ark.
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“It's a hard thing when a disaster comes through, so if there's any way we can help, we'll give them a helping hand,†said Joseph Lee, a recent Union College graduate on the trip.
The program, which operates its volunteer cleanup missions entirely on , is deployed to communities in need about one or two times a year. In the past, students have helped communities from around the world recover after natural disasters, including in Haiti, Texas, Louisiana, Iowa, Malawi and Florida.
“It’s definitely hard work,†said Adam Anderson, a senior international rescue and relief major.
A group of nearly 20 students from Union College’s International Rescue and Relief program arrived at Hot Springs Village, Ark. on Monday to assist the clean-up following an EF2 tornado that struck the area last week. COURTESY PHOTO
When they arrive on the scene, the team can be completely self-sufficient for about 72 hours. They have their own equipment, their own supplies and their own crew.
This go-around, they’re primarily focused on using chainsaws to clear away fallen branches and trees, but they’re also equipped to help with water rescues, flood management, first aid and search and rescue.
Additionally, they work to help residents cope with not only their physical loss, but the emotional trauma that natural disasters can cause.
“We have many homeowners that are experiencing loss physically, but just emotionally too. Having their homes partly destroyed, having their neighborhood wrecked, it's taken a toll on them emotionally,†Anderson said.
Since arriving in Arkansas, the group has worked long days and talked with countless Hot Springs Village residents — all of them extremely grateful for the support they’ve received since the tornado last Wednesday, Anderson said.
“It's very humbling to be here and just to be able to see the good side of people,†he said.
The crew will return to Lincoln on Sunday, and while they try to help as much as possible, by the time they head out, the community will still have a ways to go before it is fully recovered, according to program director Andrew Saunders.
“Honestly, we're only here for a few days and they're gonna be cleaning up this mess for years,†he said.
But even a little help can go a long way, Saunders said.
A group of nearly 20 students from Union College’s International Rescue and Relief program arrived at Hot Springs Village, Ark., on Monday to assist the clean-up following an EF2 tornado that struck the area last week.Â
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“These communities are so resilient on their own, all they need is someone to come in and maybe help them move forward,†he said. “A little bit of encouragement, that little bit of help, seeing that somebody sees them and values them and cares about them and has empathy for them is enough to set them on the path to recovery and resilience.â€
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The Omaha Central student section read their student newspaper while Millard West is introduced ahead of a Class A first-round girls state tournament game on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024 Wednesday at Pinnacle Bank Arena.
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An array of ciders from Saro Cider — Joy Harvest with Arbor Day Farm (from left), grapefruit, cranberry spice, and a non-alcoholic raspberry Bellini — is shown with a pesto parmesan flatbread.
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Reach Jenna Ebbers at 402-473-2657 or jebbers@journalstar.com .
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