Local Salvation Army aids Perryton
After a tornado rocked Perryton, a small Texas community of about 8,500 people on the northern side of the Texas Panhandle, help came from all around, including the town, the state government and relief agencies from across Texas. The Wichita Falls chapter of the Salvation Army left on the Saturday after the June 15 tornado to help.
Major Joe Burton of the Salvation Army was one of four who made the trip from Wichita Falls to Perryton to help. He saw the aftermath of the storm firsthand, and said people in the community were quick to begin rebuilding despite the devastation - something he and his crew were there to assist with.
“They see their house being put in the back of a dump truck, that they used to live in. And to get them and try to help them move forward, that there are better days and that they will find housing and all of that,” Burton said, adding, “ And those people in Perryton were very - and I don’t know what the word is I want to use - they were very resilient, I guess. The storm came through, they began to clean up and get everything going, and trying to move on. And the Salvation Army was there to help them do that.”
Burton said his team was able to supply emotional support for the people affected by the tornado, in addition to supplies. Those consisted of over 1,000 meals, over 3,000 bottles of water, cleanup and sanitation kits and disaster response literature. Burton, who has worked in disaster relief for over 30 years, said being able to help people in need gave his mission purpose.
“It’s a great feeling to be able. That’s why I’ve done it for so many years, it’s a great feeling to be able to go in and assist people. When you go in, look around and see the devastation, they have nothing,” Burton said, later adding, “And that’s why I keep doing it year after year when I’m called upon or my team is called upon. We just say “Yes, sir,” and we move on and we go and serve. And just to see a smile, in the midst of all the devastation, to see someone who comes up there and just says “Thank you,” and “God bless you” and “Thank you for being here.” It’s just overwhelming sometimes.”
With himself and his team now back in Wichita Falls, Burton said he was glad to be able to watch his team help people in need, regardless of their circumstances before the disaster.
“And to watch them work, volunteers or employees or Salvation Army officers, it’s a great feeling to know that the Salvation Army is there reaching the need, the point of need and the human need without discrimination. It doesn’t matter what house you lived in, it didn’t matter what trailer you lived in, didn’t matter what your socioeconomical status is. The Salvation Army goes into these disasters and serves the whosoever, and I think that’s why I do it. Because of course, the scripture tells us that’s what we need to be doing,” Burton said.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Wichita Falls Salvation Army aids Perryton
