Samaritan’s Purse volunteer teams are on the ground to help.
McNairy County is no stranger to tornadoes. Just two years ago, in March 2023, a devastating tornado hit the area, leaving nine people dead and 40 percent of the county with damage. On April 4 of this year, another deadly tornado hit leaving destruction in its wake once again.
Now, as then, Samaritan’s Purse deployed teams of volunteers to the area to help with recovery.
The Tennessee twister sadly lifted the roof off of Willie’s home.
The April 4 twister carved a path straight through a neighborhood, apartment complex, mobile home park, and major intersection in Selmer, Tennessee. Looking at the destruction you can see a car lot full of mangled vehicles, now littered with debris from what were once neighboring homes and a flattened thrift store. In the middle of this now torn-up town sits a faded blue clapboard house on a hill where Willie Barnes and his wife have lived for nearly 40 years.
The tornado came in the dead of night when he and his wife were tucked in bed; the blaring of the severe weather alert on his phone woke him up. All was still quiet outside, but rather than take a chance he and his wife gathered thick blankets and pillows and went into the bathroom. Not five minutes later, a massive EF3 tornado barreled through their home.
“I could hear the glass popping out of the house, just pop, pop, pop and limbs cracking and all sorts of noises,” Willie said. “And about 30 seconds and it was over and all I could think was thank the Lord, because I was still here breathing.”
When they lifted the blankets and pillows to see the damage Willie found himself gazing into the night sky. The tornado had lifted the roof off of their home.
Here Come the Volunteers
Our volunteers came across Willie seemingly overwhelmed at the magnitude of destruction surrounding him.
“I was standing out there just looking, thinking where do I start at?” Willie said.
The orange army of Samaritan’s Purse volunteers took him by surprise as first nine people, then eventually 19, showed up to sort through the remnants of his home.
Over the two days that our volunteers worked with Willie they saw the smile slowly return to his face. By the time they presented a Bible to him—a replacement for the one that was ruined in the house—his smile met his eyes once again.
Willie Barnes and his wife receive a Bible from the Samaritan’s Purse team.
“I’m getting blessed in so many ways, I can’t explain it,” Willie said. “I didn’t know there were so many people that cared.”
Thankful for Life
Samaritan’s Purse volunteer Stephanie Erwin brings special care and concern to her work on Willie’s property, because she went through the same experience just two years ago. She can relate to the bare concrete slabs, the lack of evidence that a house ever stood there, with the exception of a straggling piece of insulation. It’s a picture all too familiar to Stephanie as memories of 2023 flood back in, when the previous deadly tornado tore through town and destroyed her home.
She knows firsthand what it’s like to have volunteers walk up to your home and lend a much-needed hand. When she heard Samaritan’s Purse was returning to the area, she immediately signed up to serve—her way of thanking those who once stepped up when it was her home that was destroyed.
“It’s just an opportunity to be a face that cares and that loves unconditionally and to be a part of the healing process,” Stephanie said.
Stephanie Erwin was especially eager to volunteer with the cleanup at Willie’s home since her own home had been wiped out in a previous storm.
She knows what Willie is feeling, starting from nothing, sifting through rubble, hoping to find a treasure, but, taking a heavenly perspective, she sees the beauty in the brokenness.
“God puts those broken pieces back together,” Stephanie said. “It’s a time to celebrate the life that is here and the opportunity to rebuild.”
The pile of debris sitting at the curb of Willie’s home, waiting for pickup, is much larger than the pile of salvageable items and yet he finds a reason to hope.
“I don’t have anything, but I know I have something because God kept me here and he kept me here for a reason,” Willie said.
New Friends
Many of our volunteers here are locals like Stephanie who have now built bonds with neighbors they never would’ve otherwise met. They are committed to supporting their newfound friends long after Samaritan’s Purse heads home to North Carolina.
Stephanie found herself as touched as Willie by the Bible presentation, knowing how valuable Scripture is—words that don’t change and stand the test of storms and troubles. She says God’s love is the one thing in which homeowners can find rest, safety, and peace.
“Even though we’ve left a site and the work is still continuing, the Bible gives them a hope that there is a future and they’re not alone and without support,” Stephanie said.
Volunteers continue to clean up tornado debris in McNairy County.
Please pray for those in Selmer and the rest of McNairy County as they recover from yet another storm. Pray for our teams to be bold in sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.
