(NewsNation Now) — Communities in parts of western Kentucky are coming to grips with the remnants of daily life following the devastating tornado outbreak that killed dozens of people and displaced hundreds.
Those who survived are sorting through the debris, going to great lengths to help clean up, reunite people and reunite families with treasured items that they’ve lost.
If there is a silver lining to all of the destruction, it’s the story of neighbors helping neighbors piece their lives back together.
“I have to go home. I have to help my people if I can,” said Sherry Eason on the volunteer efforts to help clean up.
Photos, letters and other priceless family treasures were left scattered among the rubble.
Some people are utilizing the power of social media to help victims reconnect with their most beloved possessions.
Facebook group Quad-State Tornado Found Items already has more than 48,000 members attempting to connect lost items with their rightful owners.
Organizations from neighboring states are sending groups to assist with cleanup efforts in some of the hardest-hit areas.
“The state of Ohio helping Kentucky, our neighbor. That to me is the bottom line, we are going to help our fellow citizens and in this case, it’s our next-door neighbor,” said Evan Schumann, program director for the Ohio Task Force.
Operation BBQ Relief in Missouri is providing meals and sending other essential items to victims of the tornadoes.
“Right now we’re in that first 24 hours and what we call the 72 hours of chaos, of getting on the ground, really starting to see what is happening, what the needs are in that community,” Stan Hays, co-founder and CEO of Operation BBQ Relief said during an appearance on “Morning in America”.
“We can do so much more together than we can divided,” Hays said. “So we need to reach out, you know to one another.”