FOX23 Investigates: Community support strong in Barnsdall following tornado

BARNSDALL, Okla. — There's still so much cleanup to go in Barnsdall following the May 6th tornado.

FOX23 found out the volunteer effort like the one in Barnsdall is something people are saying no one has ever seen.

Kathy Gott and her granddaughters loaded the mule with hot meals.

Kathy took off from her ground zero in Barnsdall, the church she and her husband pastor, Lighthouse Family Worship Center.

"It's heartbreaking every time you go, shocking, being from his community," Kathy said. "You see this stuff on TV, to see up close, there's no words really the devastation you see."

In the neighborhood, the landscape changes. Many homes are already bulldozed. Kathy focuses on the needs right now.

She helps everyone in Barnsdall, other volunteers, workers, people who lost their homes.

"Knowing the people, and that's where their house was and that's where their house was, that's where their house was. And your heart is broken and people are still in shock," she said.

Sometimes people need a hug more than a meal.

"I know they need it," Kathy said.

She's on week two of doing this. She's one of more than 2,200  people who volunteered since the day after the tornado tore up Barnsdall. Those are the just the ones documented so far who signed in.

Another guy fired up his chainsaw.

Groups like the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief cleaned up torn up trees.

Neighbors help families sort through what's left.

An 11-year-old boy on a 4-wheeler who lost his own home, handed out drinks.

Church members worked together to cook hot meals, and guys from nearby towns hauled truckloads, pieces of people's homes, and dumped them into the growing pile in town.

Even on a rainy day like it was on Thursday, more than 100 people showed up to volunteer.

The mayor told FOX23 all the agencies there to help, like the Red Cross, told him they have "never" seen this kind of volunteer turnout on a tornado cleanup, not ever.

"What they were talking about, how quickly everything is getting done and the support has come in, we haven't had to wait on things," Kathy said.

She said together, they'll make it.

"We're gonna make it, we're gonna come back and I believe Barnsdall is gonna look better and be better and we're grateful for everyone," Kathy said.

The church has had a lot of donations coming in. They said the one thing they really need is a lot more Gatorade.  You can drop that off at the church, Lighthouse Family Worship Center in Barnsdall.