Whiteland athletes step up after tornado. 'We took it upon ourselves to meet a need'

GREENWOOD — It doesn't take a major event or tragedy to bring us together.

Whiteland softball coach Harley Roller made this observation of her hometown a few times following Tuesday's wild come-from-behind win over Greenwood, a game which was relocated from Whiteland after a tornado tore through town over the weekend. It doesn't take a big, devastating event for us to come together, the first-year coach repeated. "That tight-knit, small-town vibe is something that Whiteland just carries through and through."

Even so, the community has never really endured an event like this: An EF-3 tornado with wind peaks over 130 miles per hour that ripped a 3.5-mile path through town late Friday night, damaging or completely destroying well over 100 homes. And the widespread support in the days since has been simply incredible — even for those familiar with Whiteland's small-town vibes.

"It's so wholesome, because our community is really tight-knit," senior shortstop Emma Piercy said, "but you don't really realize it until something tragic like this happens."

Piercy and teammate Halle Nett, both of whom live about a mile from the tornado's path along the interstate, detailed some of the scenes around town, the debris, streets lined by damaged homes and downed buildings, a warehouse near their houses that was destroyed and a stretch behind town hall that's "completely demolished." There are drone videos, Piercy said, but they don't do it justice. "Not even close."

It's devastating imagery, especially for someone like Roller whose family tree has deep roots in the community — "I am Whiteland through and through," she said — but in the foreground have been more uplifting sights, indications of that small-town camaraderie, with hundreds of people, including a number of Whiteland students and teachers, aiding clean-up efforts and providing support.

More: Whiteland plans to rebuild after Friday's tornado — but it will take time

"Whatever I can do to help, that's really all I can think about," Roller said.

Roller was in Albany, Georgia when it was hit with back-to-back tornados in 2017, then by Hurricane Michael a year later. In those situations, she said, people tend to immediately start working and don't pay attention to when (or even if) they're eating. So, after making sure everyone on her team was accounted for and assessing the situation, Roller prepared 150 hot dogs and hamburgers at the softball field Sunday morning, then invited whoever on the team was available to help with distribution.

Nearly everyone showed up — including Piercy, who raced to the high school following her brother's baseball game at Grand Sports Park in Westfield — and they hit the streets, walking through neighborhoods and handing out hamburgers, hot dogs, chips and bottled water to anyone in need from late Sunday morning through 4 in the afternoon.

That street behind town hall? That was one of the last stops for Piercy and her group, but it probably should have been their first, she said. "It was so damaged and nobody really sees that part," she said. "It was demolished, really bad. It's crazy to imagine that we lived through a tornado."

"We took it upon ourselves to meet a need," Roller said. "The fact we were able to pull that off was just amazing. I'm so proud of them."

A day later, the Whiteland girls basketball team was out delivering water to community members, then Tuesday, the volleyball team took a turn. That all barely scratches the surface, of course, with seemingly the entire Whiteland High School community aiding clean-up efforts in some way and support pouring in from around Johnson County.

Piercy's family, who run a sports apparel and spirit wear store in Whiteland, have gotten together "a ton of stuff" to donate — they just need to find a way to distribute it. The Whiteland Police Department put out a call for donations, but had to stop accepting donations Saturday afternoon because they ran out of room.

"Everyone wants to give a hand because, personally, if our houses got hit, I would love to have people help me," Nett said. "I'm just putting myself in their shoes. I want to be there and to help them."

A massive weather event may not have been necessary to galvanize the Whiteland community like this, but it's certainly brought out the best in everyone.

"Everyone's pitching in," Piercy said. "It has been an endless amount of people all the time. … It's amazing to see."

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana tornado: Whiteland High School athletes pitch in to help