Amy and I (the authors of this blog) are from Joplin. On Sunday, a massive tornado destroyed most of the town. All of our relatives live there - our parents, grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins. My grandma and cousin Amber each live in the section of town that was obliterated. My aunt Rayma and cousin Trisha were in St. John's hospital when the tornado slammed into it.
But we were lucky - everyone in our family survived.
I mean lucky as a relative term. My cousin Amber and her husband Dustey made it to the basement and held onto their 3 young boys for dear life while the entire house blew away above their heads. When the storm passed, they literally walked away with only the clothes on their backs. Even their washer and dryer had disappeared.
Amber's strength of character showed through in her Facebook status the next day. She wrote:
"just saw on tv we have had 6 inches of rain in the past few days. at first i was worried about my roof leaking as it was in need of replacing. then it came to me, there is no roof at all, nor is there a house for it to cover. no need to worry then i guess."
Many of our friends and acquaintances have asked how they can help. Rather than collect physical items to ship from far away, we set up an online fund for donations Amber and Dustey. We thought it would be easier than gathering up a whole bunch of gift cards. It will help them re-stock on items needed immediately: clothes, shoes, food, toiletries, plastic bins, new underwear and socks, towels, other household items.
You can donate to this Paypal account for Amber and Dustey:
Standing at the north edge of Amber's yard looking south/southwest. That's the front bedroom still partially standing.
Looking east toward the house
Between Amber's house and the neighbor
The house
Looking toward Amber's house from across the street.
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