HENRYVILLE, IN (WAVE) - Hundreds of volunteers from all over the country have gone to
southern Indiana to answer the call for help.
"We're a family in
Henryville," said Amanda Biesel.
Biesel was one of the lucky ones, the tornado spared her
home. Dozens of other families in Henryville weren't so fortunate.
Homes were reduced to piles of debris and vehicles could
be found twisted into trees.
Volunteers spent Sunday trying to help victims pick up
the pieces.
"I don't think
there's barely over 2,500 people in this city and there's probably more than
that just in volunteers coming to help,"
said Louisville resident Brian Smith.
Trucks, trailers, and even school buses were loaded with
supplies to take to those in need.
"Volunteer just to
see the relief on people's faces like ‘wow I have a toothbrush, I can brush my
teeth or I have water,'" Biesel said.
At Henryville Community Church, a basketball court was
transformed to a supply bank and a church fellowship hall looked more like an
aisle at the grocery store.
"You can come in and grab a shopping cart if you need
toothpaste, a toothbrush, if you need deodorant, shaving cream, all that stuff
is in there," Biesel continued. "We have trash cans, we have storage boxes, we
have trash bags."
Right next to the church is the town's high school gym.
One of the walls is nearly gone. On Sunday, rival high school basketball
players were there to support the home team.
"We got a little bit over $400 to give to the church and
then we collected a Uhaul trailer full, a half a trailer, and a 12 passenger
van full of clothes, water, baby food, diapers just all kinds of stuff they'll
need," said Ashley Elliot.
Elliot and her teammates used Facebook as a way to
collect money and clothes for victims.
Up the road at Country Lake Retreat Center, volunteers
were just as busy- not only helping victims, but those who came from far away
to help.
"We will be serving dinner in the evening, breakfast in
the morning, and providing a bed for them to sleep in. We have 344 beds," said
director Ross Knecht.
Volunteers are helping the town clean up one baby step at
a time. With every foot forward it's one away from the destruction, the loss,
and the heartache.
"You don't see a lot of the good stuff that happens until
something like this comes up," Brian Smith said.
Biesel said she's moved to see so much support, but it
doesn't surprise her to see so many people of Henryville come together.
"This is what we do. When something comes up we all come
together and help each other out," Biesel said.
WAVE 3 has received several calls, emails, and Facebook
posts from people who want to volunteer or donate. You can find information on our homepage.
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