Eighteen days removed from the tornado outbreak that brought mass destruction to Bowling Green and Warren County, Living Hope Baptist Church Global Impact Pastor Clay Mullins was greeted Wednesday by what has become a familiar sight: dozens of volunteers showing up at the disaster relief volunteer headquarters.
Although the bulk of the tree-cutting and other heavy work has been done, Mullins was still dealing with a logistical puzzle as he pondered a whiteboard containing names and addresses of local residents still needing help.
“Where we are now is, the big work is done,” said Mullins, whose background in organizing mission projects led to him being in charge of volunteers cleaning up after the Dec. 11 tornadoes. “We’re now looking for hidden work, cleaning up debris in backyards and that sort of thing.”
Perhaps no one is more amazed than Mullins that the volunteer cleanup effort has reached this point so soon after what is arguably the worst natural disaster in the city’s history.
“When I first looked at the damage, I thought, ‘How can this be done?’ ” Mullins recalled. “I’ve been amazed at how quickly it has gone.”
Mullins, whose job requires him to organize teams that are normally sent to disaster sites around the country, found himself working closer to home this time.
“We started Sunday the 12th,” Mullins said. “We sent out almost 300 people, all from Living Hope. At the end of the day, I got a call from the city asking if we’d coordinate the volunteers.”
That led to Mullins organizing what has become a multi-state effort, with many teams of volunteers working to cut up downed trees and take that and other debris to roadsides for pickup by the CrowderGulf disaster recovery company that has contracted with the city and county governments.
“I feel like half the United States has my phone number now,” Mullins said. “I’ve received calls from all over from people wanting to send teams, from big companies down to a family of four. It has been wonderful to see.”
Mullins, who at first assembled a volunteer headquarters at the Western Kentucky University Center for Research and Development on Nashville Road but is moving it to the Greenwood Mall next week, said organizing a mission project in his own town “has been a wonderful experience.”
“It’s awesome to be able to love on my city,” the pastor said.
He’s not alone.
While volunteers have come from many states, the Warren Association of Baptists disaster relief team that is normally deployed to areas hit by hurricanes or other disasters has been able to help out in its hometown.
One Warren Association crew member, retired Bowling Green Police Department Maj. Marieca Brown, was helping clear debris along Lansdale Avenue on Wednesday.
“My husband and I have been doing this since I retired,” Brown said. “It’s satisfying to do but also heartbreaking.
“I’ve done work in Louisiana, Tennessee and Illinois. It’s more devastating to do it in your hometown because you know what the place looked like before.”
The work for Brown and other volunteers may be winding down, but Mullins still plans to deploy volunteers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster recovery headquarters in the Greenwood Mall as needs arise.
“If people will let us know that they still need help, we’ll get volunteers out there,” Mullins said.
He said people needing help with debris cleanup or other tornado-related problems can go to the live hopeful.com website and click on the “I need help” link to request assistance.
