Herds Of Shawnee Volunteers Keep Tornado Relief Effort Strong

Oklahomans are sharing their giving spirit all over storm-damaged areas.

They are pitching in around Moore and Carney, and near Shawnee, where disaster relief teams from Green Country are making a huge difference.

With all the damage in Moore, many storm victims in more rural areas worried they would be forgotten.

But they are getting help, thanks to generous volunteers.

Complete Coverage: May 2013 Tornado Outbreak

Emmanuel Baptist Church, near Bethel Acres and only 400 yards from the debris path, is the hub of operations for this area hit hard on Sunday by an EF4 tornado.

"We're just dead-center where everything took place," pastor James Bond said.

Bond said relief efforts started small, but have grown tremendously with the outpouring of generosity.

"Our small church became a huge food pantry quickly," he said. "In two days, we've had trailer loads delivered of water, and we've basically been a funnel for all kinds of resources."

The church is a place where storm victims can get water, food and tools.

And volunteers can get a bite to eat and rest -- not that they're taking many breaks.

A Southern Baptist Disaster Relief rapid response team from the Claremore area is working to clear debris.

"Just trust the Lord to give us the strength," SBDF member Danny Cotner said. "We enjoy doing the work. We enjoy helping people; and we know we can always go back to our safe home and that encourages us to keep going and get the work done."

Sunday's twister was on the ground for 20 miles, so there is an incredible amount of work to do.

"It's just left trees everywhere, houses without roofs, just chaos," Cotner said.

Shelli Aliff lives in the Pecan Valley community. With the massive amount of damage in Moore, she didn't think such a rural area would get much help.

She's glad she was mistaken.

"It means everything to us," Aliff said. "It means everything to us."

The work by Baptist chainsaw teams will mean she and her husband, who is fighting cancer, won't have to spend countless hours working to clear debris from their property.

"There's no way," she said. "It would have taken months to do all this. There are no words to thank the people that have come out."

The relief effort in Pottawatomie County is one volunteers say they are taking seriously.

"We said to our leaders, that we don't want to leave Shawnee behind," Bond said. "We don't want them to be forgotten."

The Southern Baptist Disaster Relief team from Rogers County will head home this evening.

They'll be replaced with another team that will rotate in to replace them.

Bond said he is heartened by the fact that all faiths in the Shawnee area, as well as Mennonite and Amish men from other communities, are working together to aid victims. 

The Red Cross, Federal Emergency Management Agency and Salvation Army also are in Shawnee. Read more about their locations and other ways you can help by clicking here.