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Lee
Anne Lowrance (right) who heads up the McKenzie
shelter, coordinates supply lists with Mark and Sue
Thompson, members of the First Cumberland Presbyterian
Church, one of many church partners in the relief
effort. |
Labor Day weekend turned into a labor of love for area
churches, businesses, industries and individuals who came
together in an unprecedented showing of goodwill for
survivors of Hurricane Katrina, a storm of epic proportions
that left over a quarter million people homeless in New
Orleans alone. The storm on August 29 wreaked the coastlines
of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
Immediately, local efforts were geared to funnel funds and
supplies to devastated survivors, but the endeavor shifted
over the weekend when it was discovered that upwards of 600
survivors would be coming into Lavinia and that churches had
partnered to convert the recently vacated former facility of
Long Heights Baptist Church into a dormitory to house up to
46 individuals, referred to at Red Cross centers as
"evacuees."
Sleepless nights at several area homes were the impetus for
the McKenzie operation. "Thursday night I didn't go to bed,"
said Lee Anne Lowrance, a master's level social worker, of
McKenzie, who spearheaded the endeavor. "At 4:00 I woke my
husband and said, 'Come talk to me.'"
No age was too young to
help ready the facilities at the old Long Heights
Church building. Isabella Lowrance, age 4, daughter of
Roy and Lee Anne Lowrance, pushes a vacuum cleaner
down the hallway.
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Lee Anne and Roy Lowrance, owner of Grace Construction
Company, brainstormed ideas of where showers might be
installed in the building where, only the Sunday before,
members had met in a final farewell before moving the same
day to their new location on the Old Paris Road off Highway
79 on the north side of the bypass.
Friday morning, she called Pastor Kenny Carr with the idea.
"I knew in my heart that's what we needed to do," she said.
"I prayed it would be on Kenny's heart, too, if that's what
God wanted us to do."
After calling church deacons, a meeting was set for Saturday
morning at 9 a.m. and committees were formed including Susan
Dunavan, meals coordinator; Teresa Brawner, medical
coordinator; Roy Lowrance, construction coordinator; and
McKenzie Principal Richard Davy, school coordinator.
Assistants to Lee Anne include Kim Kelly and Cathy Edlin.
Through the efforts of many, eleven rooms were furnished
with beds, complete with bedding; chests of drawers; bedside
tables; mirrors; decorative items; lamps; clocks, radios,
calendars; welcome baskets; books; Bibles; and, in some
cases, chairs or recliners. Two family rooms hold sofas,
love seats and end tables donated by New Generations
Furniture Company. The original sanctuary was converted into
a kitchen with a well-stocked pantry. Hall's Appliance
Center supplied two washers and dryers and refrigerator.
Some of the individual readying rooms for the arrival of
evacuees were (left to right) Tammie and Richard Davy, Susan
Dunovan, and Stephanie Harris.
The Little Debbie Company has promised to donate snacks
while West Tennessee Dairy is supplying paper products. Two
picnic tables have also been donated. Bob's Barbecue
volunteered to feed the group every Friday evening.
Rev. Floyd "Lammie"
Lammersfeld helps to install plumbing for a new shower
facility in the converted shelter.
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Lee Anne was searching for a donor of another shower Monday,
in addition to shower chairs and other aids for the
possibility of elderly residents. Other items needed at that
time included frames and box springs for some of the beds.
Because many volunteers work during the daytime, Lee Anne
anticipates breakfasts will consist of milk and cereal and
mid-day meals of lunch meats, while hot dinners will be
prepared on a shared basis by the many churches involved in
the partnership.
"I'm glad we're all working together to get this done," said
Lee Anne, who lamented that volunteers and supplies came in
so quickly that names of individuals and organizations often
went unrecorded. She said people from all three counties and
every religion had joined the effort. "We're one people
helping serve one need on a huge project and it's just
awesome," she continued, marveling that every time a need
was voiced, within 30 minutes it was met.
Said Carr, "It's encouraging how this has become a community
thing. Everyone was wanting to help and just needed a
resource to focus their energy and resources on. It's one of
those things that, once it got started, it's been out of our
control; the Lord's doing it; people are just showing up to
help."
Children's clothing will be accepted at the Doug Street
facility while, due to limited storage space, adult clothing
should be taken to United Neighbors, located across from
City Hall in McKenzie.
Lee Anne said some residents will be bringing pets, for
which arrangements have been made, but that cat and dog food
would be needed.
Rooms are equipped with
necessities as well as niceties and decorative items.
Whether residents will be individuals or families remains
unknown at this time. Among items that could be needed if
children are included are school supplies, which, if not
used, would be donated to the school. Other items that may
be needed are diapers and baby formula.
She noted that Spivey Eye Clinic has proffered their
services as has Paris dentist Dr. J.B. Johnsonius. Dr. Jerry
Atkins of Huntingdon, Dr. Dan Sumrok of McKenzie, and Dr.
Charles Walker of Paris have all come forward to offer
medical services. Super Drugs and Rite-Aid offered to assist
residents in obtaining prescription medicines.
Initial triage of evacuees will take place in Lavinia at the
Tennessee National Guard Training Center located on the
backside of Milan Arsenal's vast acreage, where the Red
Cross has established a camp for 600 evacuees. The barracks
are located across from the old Lavinia School, which now
serves as a National Guard office.
There, evacuees will receive a TB skin test and tetanus
vaccine. Among services expected to be rendered at the local
facility are school and work physicals. Evacuees were
expected to arrive in Lavinia Tuesday.
All residents may not come through the Red Cross center,
however, said Lee Anne, as some have traveled north via
their own transportation.
Family rooms are furnished with sofas, love seats, and
tables donated by New Generations Furniture Company.
Organizers anticipated it could be the end of the week
before evacuees arrive in McKenzie. Their stay at the
shelter is expected to last anywhere from three months to a
year. Lee Anne noted evacuees will likely remain over the
Christmas holidays.
"That just gives us more time to do that much more," said
the Rev. Floyd "Lammie" Lammersfeld, who was installing a
new shower inside while Roy Lowrance ran water lines beneath
the building. Three showers and a laundry room were added to
bathrooms that include five toilets.
Carr and Lee Anne traveled to Lavinia Monday where they
spoke with Jackson Red Cross Executive Director Wanda
Stanfill, who is coordinating that effort. When Carr showed
her the video of all that had been done to prepare the
McKenzie shelter, Lee Anne said, "she teared up" and advised
them to speak with Ron Smith at the Red Cross center in
Jackson.
There, the video elicited the promise of a Thursday visit,
at which time the McKenzie facility will be certified as a
shelter with liability assumed by the Red Cross, while
support continues to be supplied by the community. The Red
Cross will also train local volunteers to support the
McKenzie mission.
Lee Anne said county Mayor Kenny McBride, Mayor Walter
Winchester, and McKenzie Special School District
Superintendent Jim Ward had each expressed his support of
the endeavor.
Concerning the prospective residents of the shelter, Lee
Anne said, "I'm praying they'll be ready for us and we'll be
ready for them."
Richard Davy, Cathy Edlin, and Stephanie Harris stock the
pantry in the sanctuary-turned-kitchen.
In Lavinia Monday, volunteers were in good spirits after a
weekend of hard work collecting supplies and preparing for
evacuees they thought would arrive Saturday.
Groups are expected to arrive Tuesday in waves of 125 to 150
with the first to arrive at the Nashville airport at 10:00
a.m. From Nashville, they will be bused to Carroll County
where in-processing will be conducted by Department of Human
Services personnel working in two shifts.
Medical teams will triage every person upon arrival, with a
focus on preventive medicine. Sick individuals would not
remain at the facility, said Dr. Wayne Rhear, one of several
doctors operating in outreach clinics in Jackson and
Lavinia. He said compassionate medicine was the focus of the
team's medical efforts. "If you don't put that in, you can't
help people; you've got to be compassionate. That's what
it's all about; it's the heart of this nation," he said,
characterizing the endeavor as "God-driven."
In addition to dormitories, the Lavinia facility includes a
mess hall, clinic, and supply center. Although the buildings
are not air conditioned, Rhear noted residents of the
more-southerly states from which the inhabitants would
arrive would likely welcome West Tennessee temperatures.
Some evacuees have already arrived in Jackson where they are
housed in hotels, a gymnasium, and homes. Area churches are
helping to feed them. Stanfill said 39 individuals were
housed in the West Jackson shelter with an estimated 175 in
hotels.
Barracks in the Lavinia camp
each contain 20 twin beds and lockers.
Stressing the long-term needs of displaced individuals, she
noted anyone who wishes to volunteer at the Lavinia center
must register with the Red Cross and attend training to be
held at the First United Methodist Church in Milan Tuesday
evening at 6:30 p.m. Identification cards will be issued to
those persons and are required for entrance to the facility.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol is in charge of security.
Evacuees will be free to come and go as they please,
according to McBride, however, other traffic through the
single gate will be restricted. Carroll County Emergency
Management Agency will make identification badges for each
of the evacuees.
Volunteers from various church groups working at Lavinia
cited Dove Radio station 93.7 as the information base for
collection efforts in Milan, where a semi-truck is stationed
in the E.W. James parking lot.
Cathie Harris, a volunteer whose day job is working as a
laboratory technician at UT Family Practice in Jackson, said
she had taken off from work in order to be available when
evacuees arrive Tuesday. She counted churches, schools, fire
departments and police departments among groups providing
assistance in supplying the center.
Cathie Harris rests between
supplies coming into Lavinia from all over West Tennessee.
As an example of how citizens responded, she said that
Saturday there were only 100 pre-packaged kits of toiletries
available when the radio station announced more were needed.
Immediately, the center was inundated with kits put together
by individuals anxious to help, so that thousands remain
boxed for future use aside from those placed on each bed.
Dennis Wall and Pat Pike from the First Baptist Church in
Milan displayed boxes of packaged toiletries, some of which
came all the way from Alamo and Memphis.
"We've had stuff come in from everywhere," said Pat, noting
the only item still needed, after many towels and sheets
were donated by West Tennessee Healthcare and other donors,
were twin-sized, white fitted sheets. "People bought out
Wal-Mart, Fred's and Dollar General," she said.
Dennis Wall and Pat Pike from
the First Baptist Church in Milan display boxes of packaged
toiletries, some of which came all the way from Alamo and
Memphis.
The mess hall is stocked and ready. "We were ready to feed
them breakfast this morning," said Dennis, who noted
McDonalds of Milan had prepared 758 sausage and biscuits for
Sunday breakfast. When the evacuees had not yet arrived,
they were frozen for use later in the week.
While no one is certain of the demographics of the evacuees,
volunteers have prepared seven men's and six women's
dormitories, each containing 20 beds, with other barracks
set aside to serve families.
It is unknown how many, if any, children might be enrolled
in the McLemoresville, Trezevant, and Atwood schools of the
West Carroll Special School District. McBride said he had
alerted Director of Schools Eric Williams and high school
Principal Lex Suite of the evacuees' pending arrival.
Buddy McClain and county Mayor Kenny Carr head up a convoy
of supplies coming into the Lavinia unit from McKenzie's
Church of Christ Disaster Relief.
In preparation for the ongoing support of locally-placed
evacuees, the county has placed a truck in front of the
Carroll County Office Complex to accept donations of
diapers, baby formula, water, soft drinks, fruit punch, Kool-aid,
canned foods. A second truck will be located in McKenzie at
a yet undetermined location. Monetary donations may be left
at the County Mayor's office. Checks should be made payable
to Carroll County with a memo designating the Hurricane
Relief Fund. Funds can also be made payable to the Red
Cross.
"The generosity of the people of this county has overwhelmed
all of us," said McBride, who cautioned that the generosity
must keep coming as long as the evacuees remain.
For more information regarding the Lavinia facility, contact
the Jackson Area Red Cross at 731-467-5543. Offices are
located at 1981 Hollywood Drive, Suite 100 in Jackson.
For more information about the McKenzie mission, contact
area churches or call Long Heights at 731-352-2372 or Lee
Anne at 731-352-9898 or 676-5970. The Banner will provide a
list of needed items weekly.
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