Community Comes Together To Help Clean Richardson Tornado Damage

View The Original Article Here

RICHARDSON (CBSDFW.COM) — Power has been restored to more than 30,000 Oncor customers since Sunday’s tornadoes, but the lights are still out for 65,000 others. But as the long recovery effort begins across the Metroplex, it’s not just the paid clean-up crews that are working around the clock.

For many in Richardson, the terror of last night revealed a morning filled with both destruction and human decency.

“It was just like we saw a need and we just came,” Drew Doss of First Baptist Richardson said.

In the Richland Park neighborhood, the Texas Baptist Men, First Baptist Richardson and the Qalam Institute in Arlington all showed up ready to do the heavy lifting — clearing debris, building tarps or firing up the grill.

“Because of the electricity issue, we were just telling people to bring their frozen goods that are de-thawing,” Doss said. “We’re going to throw it on the grill. We’ll also bring in pizza and things like that, so just trying to help out the effort.”

They served 160 volunteers hot dogs and burgers Monday afternoon. And, knowing this recovery effort will be a long-term one, these volunteers say they will stay as long as there’s a need.

“Something as simple as making a hamburger to help someone smile and have a little bit of hope in a really devastating situation has been a blessing to my family, my community, and a way that we can connect with people that we don’t see everyday,” Richardson resident Amanda Pritchard said.