Cleaning up chaos: Volunteers from across Wabash Valley helping in Sullivan

Apr. 6—As Wade Mason stood by, Vigo County Highway Dept. workers used an excavator and other machinery to scoop up materials that had once been his garage.

Mason and his brother Dave were among the many Sullivan residents who lost their homes to the March 31 tornado.

The brothers spent part of Thursday salvaging items from the garage as they watched the highway workers remove debris. And they were thankful for that effort.

"We've got about everything we can save out of the house," said Wade Mason, whose home was on South State Street. The garage "was all rubbled over."

He's placed possessions in storage units, including furniture, tools and a filing cabinet.

Fortunately, he has insurance to rebuild.

Both he and his brother were home when the twister came through, but both came out OK. "It was scary," he said. "It sounded like a bomb going off."

Mason is thankful for the efforts of Vigo County highway workers; he's not sure how long it would have taken him to do the cleanup of debris without their help.

Many other volunteers have come by and offered to help in any way needed.

For now, the brothers have assistance to stay at a hotel in Terre Haute, and their insurance company is looking for temporary housing. "We'll be alright," Wade Mason said.

Also on site was Vigo County Commissioner Mike Morris, as county highway workers used their skills and machinery to assist their Sullivan neighbors.

Morris said 23 highway workers were clearing debris, hauling it to the landfill and taking brush to a wood chipper. "We know that Sullivan would help us if we had this kind of a problem, so we decided to come down and help them," Morris said.

The county brought dump trucks, excavators and loaders. The highway contingent included volunteers and others on paid work duty. "What we can bring to it is a trained crew," Morris said. "They know how to work safely and as a team."

Morris had also been there Saturday. Vigo County EMA was on site Friday night after the tornado hit, and "they're still here working," he said. They assisted with search and rescue and safety issues.

Reacting to the twister's wreckage, he said, "If I stop and think about it too much, it hurts. It really hurts ... You just feel for the people."

Also volunteering Thursday were about 50 students from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Most were with the school's sprint football team, and others were part of campus ministry. Donning yellow safety vests, the students gave up part of their Easter break to help the community of Sullivan.

Madison Randolph of Terre Haute, an SMWC junior, said it was important for her to be there "to help people out because there is a lot that can be done here ... I think it's crazy a tornado can do this much damage to people and their homes. Some people have nothing left."

It's overwhelming to see, Randolph said. "I feel sad for these people."

Shelby Feuquay, an SMWC junior from Terre Haute, said the people of Sullivan "need help and it's nice for us to all come together and do a little bit to help each other out."

Nearby, volunteers from several Walmart stores were helping with cleanup efforts.

Jason Drake, a Walmart market asset protection manager based in Jasper, said 11 store managers from several communities were onsite and about 65 to 70 associates; they came from nearby areas as well as Boonville, Columbus, Linton and other cities.

"We've all come down to help and do what we can to support the city of Sullivan," Drake said. They also helped some residents load personal items onto trailers.

At Sullivan City Park, volunteers with Whitfield Concrete Construction of Solsberry served cheesy potato and vegetable beef soup, cookies, crackers and water to other volunteers who had been toiling with cleanup.

Rachael Whitfield was among those serving food; others with Whitfield labored in other areas of need. As her husband said to her, "I hope someone would do something for us if we were ever in this situation," she said.

Among those partaking of the food was Benjamin Parker, who was volunteering with 15 other individuals from Rebuilt Ministries in Bloomfield. "We're just trying to help with the cleanup the best we can ... I've never seen this kind of destruction from weather."

Earlier Thursday, Sullivan Mayor Clint Lamb again thanked all the volunteers coming to the aid of the community.

"If there is such a thing as organized and managed chaos, it's happening right here in the city of Sullivan," he said. A few things perhaps could have been handled differently, but "about 90% of it is going about as good as can be expected."

Many agencies have stepped up, government, nonprofit and ministries. He also gave a shout-out to his Department of Public Works.

"They've taken over as far as trying to manage the scene, keeping people in and out, being compassionate for the help that needs to come in," but at the same time keeping onlookers and gawkers away, Lamb said.

On Thursday, a meeting on long-term recovery was planned, with local, state and federal officials involved.

While some people want to rebuild quickly, Lamb hopes to ensure it's a quality rebuild. "We want to build the area back better than it ever was before," he said.

He's asking people to hold off a little on that rebuild as his administration works to secure all available sources of funding, government and otherwise, to help provide for that quality rebuild.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue