Many of the rooms in Vickie Starks’ Meridian home still have cracks across the ceiling and the shed that used to stand in her backyard is long gone after a tornado ripped through her neighborhood more than seven months ago.

But her roof, replaced by volunteers, no longer leaks and her kitchen ceiling is patched, even if it’s still unpainted.

“Some volunteers came by a week ago and started painting the outside,” Starks said last month.

Starks’ home was one of 239 homes damaged by the April 14 tornado, with most of the families living in the East End, such as Starks, or in the town of Marion.

The tornado destroyed 28 homes and seriously damaged 42, including many on Starks’ street.

Just one block down, an open lot marks the location of an old neighbor’s home with the skeleton of another home next door.

With her carport damaged, a car in the shop for six weeks and her patio covering ripped off, Starks and her two daughters initially felt overwhelmed after the storm.

“I was wondering how we were going to make it… The girls were crying and upset so we went ahead and prayed,” Starks said. “And I told them we would be all right.”

Volunteers with the Westwood Baptist Church, coordinated by the United Methodist Committee on Relief, through the Wesley House, have responded to homes across the area, helping owners such as Starks.

BY THE NUMBERS

$51,999 to Waste Pro of Meridian for debris clean-up

$50,000 from MEMA for home repairs

28 homes destroyed by the tornado

239 total homes affected

$132,700 in low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration

“It was wonderful because I didn’t have any money. I work two jobs – one full time and one part time,” Starks said. “My daughter is a senior at Meridian High so every penny I get goes to her.”

Starks specifically recognized elected officials – Mayor Percy Bland, Ward 2 City Council representative Tyrone Johnson and Lauderdale County District 2 Supervisor Wayman Newell for coming to check in on her and her family, bringing tools to help with the initial response.

“We were fortunate we were able to stay in our home,” Starks said. “I’m grateful that the help was there when I needed it.”

Religious organizations play role

Recovery for Starks’ and other county residents affected by the storm is ongoing more than seven months after the tornado, with many of the tell-tale blue tarps gone across Meridian and Marion.

After the tornado, volunteer agencies quickly distributed the tarps, mostly from the Velma Young Community Center, to prevent leaks and protect residents until permanent fixes could be made.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency recommended that government leaders pick a team to create a disaster recovery organization, which other cities and areas in the state already had.

The organization, called Partners in Recovery, could receive grants from MEMA, coordinate volunteers and raise funds. These funds could cover the gaps that other programs didn’t.

Justin Branstetter, co-treasurer of Partners in Recovery, said that funding from MEMA covered materials for fixing homes, as stipulated in the grant, but not professional services, which Partners in Recovery would have to fund themselves.

“That’s where we run into a snag – getting money for contractors… MEMA covers most, but we cover the contractors,” Branstetter said. “Most of the things that we’ve done so far is get a list of houses that need to be fixed.”

Branstetter, with volunteers from his church, Westwood Baptist, fixed Starks’ home and a few others that only needed minor repairs. Branstetter described a process where Partners in Recovery determined the expertise needed for repairs and whether volunteers with basic skills could cover it.

“Churches, in general, are always looking to do outreach,” Branstetter said.

Another religious organization, the United Methodist Committee on Relief, stepped up to provide the funding for more complicated repairs. 

“We ended up opening our space for UMCOR,” David Schultz, the executive director of the Wesley House, said. “They brought in their case managers to process and do all of this work… We are just glad to help UMCOR and give them the space they needed to do what they need to do.”

Schultz said the Wesley House opened a fund for professional services for tornado survivors as announced in previous months but didn’t get much funding. He estimated they had around $800 to $1,000 in the account.

“It’s here and we will use it if any funds are designated by the Partners in Recovery,” Schultz said. “It’s going to be there for them as long as the Partners in Recovery tell us to.”

UMCOR, with experience in handling disasters, was able to help five families restore their utilities early in the recovery process, assisting an additional 100 families with food, water or other emergency items, Mellie Thomas, a disaster recovery project manager with UMCOR, said.

“Some of the fixes are easy stuff – things that skilled labor isn’t needed for,” Thomas said. “But some of those skilled laborers are need as well.”

Thomas said 30 families needed long-term help, with efforts ongoing for 20 others. By utilizing UMCOR grants, some residents received professional services from plumbers or electricians.

“It’s important to realize there are people in your town still living out of their homes or in non-ideal conditions,” Thomas said. “With low-level disasters, they don’t get as much attention and so sometimes they’re harder to recover from.”

The cost of recovery

Had the disaster hit a multi-million mark set by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA would have repaid those costs.

Partners in Recovery can apply to receive $50,000 installments from MEMA, which are funneled through Lauderdale County, but disbursed by Partners in Recovery.

TO HELP

Many homes still need significant repairs, including some in need of skilled laborers to fix roofs and electricity. The Community Foundation of East Mississippi has a Disaster Relief fund dedicated to this recovery effort. Donors may contribute by visiting https://tinyurl.com/Meridian-tornado-relief or mailing a check to P.O. Box 865 Meridian, MS 39302 with Disaster Relief – Lauderdale County in the memo line.

Honey Baked Ham, Mugshots and Chick-fil-A all donated meals in the immediate aftermath to the Emergency Operations Center through fund 847, totaling $1,267.

Waste Pro of Meridian charged the City of Meridian $51,999 in nine invoices, ranging from $10,661 in June to $165 in July.

The city also received a $479 donation from Mitchell Company’s Budweiser Clydesdale Event, which the city said it donated to Partners in Recovery.

The Small Business Administration can provide low-interest loans to businesses and homeowners following disasters and reported approving eight home loans for a total of $132,700 in Meridian following the April tornado, according to Jay MacKenna, a public affairs specialist with the SBA.

These various revenue streams will need to be the focus of Partners in Recovery, Branstetter said, in order for it to continue.

“It’s all coming down to that – getting money from the community,” Branstetter said. “We’ve got to find a better, faster way to get money.”

Other locally based disaster relief organizations have found that having a pre-determined committee makes responding to future disasters easy — and strengthens the community’s resilience.

“I’d like to thank everybody. It’s the first time we’ve done something of this magnitude,” Branstetter said. “We’re well on our way to getting there.”