Wayne County communities come together to help those in need

WAYNE COUNTY — All for one, One for all

The Tabernacle Baptist Church in Piedmont has a pulse, and it is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

A recently-added building next to the church teemed with life as people busily carried items inside Monday and greeted vehicles pulling around to drop off goods.

Inside, a field of tables was laid with various goods: clothing, tools, cleaning supplies, blankets, hygiene supplies. All items were neatly displayed and ready to supply those in need.

“Can I help you?” a voice inquired.

Derek Gray, treasurer for the church, held a bank bag and couldn’t quite seem to make it out of the building without needing to stop and help someone.

“This church doesn’t currently have a pastor,” he later explained. “A lot of people are looking to me for answers. All I can focus on doing right now is helping.”

Gray explained the new building is less than a year old. It was built specifically to be of service to the community of Piedmont, but he hadn’t anticipated it would be used in quite this way.

“We have had so many people come here to offer to help or to donate things,” Gray said. “The fire department and the sheriff’s department are also helping people. But they have basically set up here in the building because everyone has been directed to come here. So, we’ve basically become the hub for this area.”

Gray was overwhelmed by the generosity of others in the previous two days.

“We have had multiple 18-wheelers come here to deliver all sorts of stuff for the people,” Gray said. “It’s gotten to the point where I’m constantly getting asked what needs to be donated.”

Gray specified they need more charcoal and lighter fluid.

“You see, there are people that don’t want to leave what’s left of their stuff, so they’re camping,” he remarked. “And they need charcoal and lighter fluid because that is how they’re cooking their meals.”

Gray shook his head and marvels at how the destructive storm made a path that seemed to go around Piedmont.

“Most of what anyone in Piedmont got was some wind damage,” Gray noted. “Des Arc got it really bad. It’s basically completely gone.”

“Yeah,” a woman in line chimed in. “If you want to see damage, you should go to Des Arc. Or, I guess technically where Des Arc used to be.”

You can’t destroy history

Though it is technically in Iron County, the village of Des Arc neighbors Piedmont with little more than 10 miles separating the communities. Upon driving into Des Arc, though, one can only see piles of rubble that evidently used to be stores and homes and churches.

Driving into the small community, there is one main strip of road. On that road previously sat the post office, the old Methodist Church, a few store buildings and some houses. Across the street is a trailer with the East Missouri Action Agency, and volunteers distribute sandwiches and cold beverages along with $25 gas cards and $25 supply cards to those in need.

“That whole block right there where the Methodist church was — every building there was over 100 years old,” explained a man who didn’t want to give his name. “I got to worry about how I’m going to replace the roof on my house.”

Just outside the entrance to the Des Arc Museum lies the bell salvaged from the remains of the Methodist church.

“That church was built in 1886,” explained Jackie Brandmeyer. “And the guy who built the church also built that two-story house that’s blown open on the corner. That whole block is full of history. It was… full of history.”

Brandmeyer had spent the last two days staying busy by keeping large amounts of food prepared for residents and volunteers helping to clear the debris.

“I was born and raised in this community,” Brandmeyer explained. “I taught school in south Ironton County. My great-grandpa was a justice of the peace here. And I attended the Methodist Church.

“I think we’re very fortunate in the sense that we didn’t have one death. But we lost 150 buildings. All of that destruction, all of those buildings, gone in just a few minutes.”

Brandmeyer shook her head and choked back a tear.

“The sanctuary for the other old church here at the top of the museum is still intact,” she said with a hint of optimism. “Some windows broke and the building itself got a little twisted, but I’m hoping we can save it. We need to save it. We lost too much already.”

Rebekah and Josh Gray helped make sure everyone got food while Brandmeyer checked on those who elected to sit, eat and rest for a minute.

“We were actually sheltering in that two-story house on the corner when the tornado came,” Rebekah Gray remarked. “It’s just so crazy and it doesn’t feel real. Some people are camping because they’re worried about looters taking what’s left of their stuff.”

The Des Arc Museum opens at 10:30 a.m. and stays open until they run out of food for the day.

Ready to help

The FEMA building at the Clearwater Elementary School remains empty, for now. Volunteers sit and wait for those needing shelter to arrive.

“We were open last night, and no one came,” explained volunteer Beverly Brown. “We know there are people that don’t want to leave their homes, but I can’t imagine it’s very desirable to camp out under these circumstances.”

The building was made available as a shelter after the storm hit the region, and Tabernacle Baptist Church was relieved to see it surface as an option.

“We can’t do everything,” Gray remarked. “We wish we could do everything that everyone needs, but we can’t. We’re so grateful for the school and how they help. Hopefully anyone who needs shelter will go there and use it.”

Brown explained the school shelter has cots and bathrooms.

“We have everything we need to accommodate people,” Brown said. “We just need for people to come here and use the facility. Hopefully they will, soon.”

The even smaller community of Cole Subdivision — southeast of Piedmont — looks scarcely inhabited. But that’s because so many trees were blown over and cover the view of where houses stood before the tornado hit.

No one in the subdivision was available for comment, as they were busily working in the fields to cut and remove trees. The sounds of chainsaws and heavy construction equipment drowned out the sound of any wildlife.

These people are doing what needs to be done, and they will not stop.

“We are going to be here and we’re going to be of service to anyone who needs it for as long as this lasts,” Gray explained at Tabernacle Baptist Church. “This is something that has affected everyone. We’re all on this together, and we aren’t going to go anywhere. We’re here to help.”