‘Helping out fellow soldiers’: Veteran-run nonprofit uses military precision to assist after Clarksville tornado
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – In the city neighboring an Army base, military precision made for an efficient cleanup after a tornado tore through Clarksville over the weekend.
Family photo from Clarksville blown into Kentucky in tornado outbreak
“We started doing some drone mapping initially, along with some reconnaissance to see what areas of the city had been damaged the most and kind of pick out the path of the storm,” said Aerial Recovery volunteer SGM John Witherspoon.
Aerial Recovery is a veteran-run nonprofit that trains and deploys former military and first responders to disaster areas worldwide.
“We’re always trying to find the things from the military that fit into disaster response to make it more efficient, but also not trying to be so rigid,” Witherspoon explained.
Volunteer group feeds Clarksville tornado survivors
However, given the deadly tornados and Middle Tennessee’s proximity to home and Fort Campbell, the response to this disaster felt personal for Witherspoon and other Aerial Recovery volunteers.
“You already know people, so, you know, friends of mine from the Army and such would hit up to ask, ‘Hey, how can we come help?'” Witherspoon said.
Through word of mouth, 60 to 70 volunteers joined Aerial Recovery in their efforts to tarp homes, clean up debris, and check on families in impacted areas.
Some areas hit by the tornado were neighborhoods where Fort Campbell soldiers live, so Witherspoon said many of their teammates were showing up the next day to help.
“The units on base really look out for their soldiers, and so when they find out one of their soldiers’ homes are affected, the unit really jumps in and sends additional help to them,” Witherspoon explained.
He also said for him, being able to assist fellow servicemen and servicewomen was a special experience.
Tornado Disaster Relief: Donate to help those impacted by the deadly storms in Tennessee
“Helping out fellow soldiers, that’s kind of neat, right? You get to go and essentially help out guys you served with, and that’s kind of… that’s a little different. We’re not used to that,” he said.
Witherspoon said starting Wednesday, Dec. 13, they will begin a new phase of the mission, connecting with specific families and people impacted, making sure they have all the supplies and resources they need.
Aerial Recovery has a section on their website for people to donate to their Middle Tennessee disaster response, which can be found here.
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