Mark Bennett: Response in Sullivan, Robinson exemplifies power of teamwork

Apr. 7—A couple stood in the front yard of their tornado-damaged home in Sullivan alongside a group of volunteer relief workers Tuesday morning.

A leader of crew explained the distance some of the volunteers had come to help. The homeowners wiped away tears.

As the volunteers plucked shattered glass from the lawn and sidewalk, raked torn roofing and twigs and piled up snapped-off fence posts and metal siding pieces, two women offered the workers bottled water and snacks, loaded in the back of a pickup truck. A guy pushing a wheelbarrow full of water and snacks came by minutes later. Another guy in a Gator stopped and asked if the wheelbarrow guy needed help.

Employees from a Sullivan business dropped off containers of hand sanitizer.

Soon, the crew got word that another business was serving free barbecue lunches.

As the volunteers walked toward the smoke and aroma of the barbecue grill, people in a Salvation Army concession stand offered submarine sandwiches, chips, cookies, fruit and Gatorade. Once the volunteers chose their lunch option, they sat down on a park bench to eat, and a woman soon walked up and asked how she could join the volunteer group.

Helpers helping helpers.

The EF-3 tornado that ransacked the Wabash Valley communities of Sullivan and Robinson, Ill., on the night of March 31 imposed heartaches and tragedy. The storm killed three people in Robinson and, minutes later, three more in Sullivan. Thirty-five homes in Robinson were destroyed and 53 others suffered significant damage, Crawford County Sheriff William Rutan said. Hundreds of structures were destroyed in Sullivan, where the descriptions "it looks like a bomb went off" or "war zone" aptly capture the scene on the city's south side.

In the midst of the hurt, mess and chaos, the potential of the human spirit shined bright in the days following the tornado.

"This is definitely a disaster, to say the least," Rutan said Wednesday from Robinson. "The best part is, everybody is working together."

To be sure, the situations in Sullivan and Robinson aren't utopian, and frustrating realities exist. On Monday, the Indiana State Police warned residents in tornado-hit communities to be vigilant about scammers posing as home-repair and cleanup contractors. Still, residents got solid advice from the ISP, and in Robinson, community officials vetted contractors and relayed word to the townspeople.

It was hard to see the two towns — 25 miles apart by roadways — experiencing so much loss and damage. My wife and I started our professional careers with straight-out-of-college jobs in those small towns in the 1980s and early 1990s. Her first full-time teaching job was at Robinson High School and Nuttall Middle School, and my first full-time journalism job was at the Sullivan Daily Times.

I have vivid memories of entertaining our oldest son, then just an infant, in the bleachers while my wife coached the Nuttall Raiders seventh- and eighth-grade girls basketball teams. Likewise, she watched numerous Sullivan Golden Arrows sporting events that I covered for the Daily Times. We took our son to Robinson's Washington Park occasionally. We consumed lots of coffee and sandwiches at The Newsstand on town square in Sullivan before high school basketball and football games.

Decades later, Washington Park still exists. The Newsstand, alas, is no longer in business. Times change. But Sullivan and its mayor, Clint Lamb, have undertaken transformative quality-of-life initiatives in recent years. And, Robinson remains home to Fortune 500 companies — the Marathon Oil Refinery, Hershey and Dana Sealing Products. Optimism is valid in both places.

I was in Robinson on Monday and Sullivan on Tuesday, encountering a few familiar faces and names. The most inspiring sight was seeing so many people determined to rebuild the torn sections of those communities and assisting each other in the process. Volunteers came from around the block and around the country, from neighbors to faith-based disaster relief organizations like Samaritan's Purse with volunteers traveling from as far off as Alaska, Michigan and other states. Residents whose homes were destroyed checked on neighbors.

Chainsaws buzzed. Logistical problems got handled, some quicker than others. Chaos got tamed by can-do attitudes and communication. Legs and backs ached, but bottles of cold water and food flowed. Donations piled up. As Easter weekend approached, the expectation of a brighter day ahead prevailed, amid the understanding that it will take time.

As Sheriff Rutan said in Robinson, "The community has been amazing. They've stepped up and helped their neighbors and family. It's amazing to see how they've worked together."

Mark Bennett can be reached at 812-231-4377 or mark.bennett@tribstar.com.