Local residents lend a helping hand in wake of Parkersburg tornado

Truckloads of goods, many hands make their way to Parkersburg by Marianne Morfand Michelle Watson    The out-pouring of concern, money and manpower has been great in the wake of a devastating tornado which struck Parkersburg, Iowa Sunday, May 25.  Clear Lake and Ventura residents are among those lending their help to their North Iowa neighbors.  The experience has touched many lives.    Helping her hometown    News of devastation in Parkersburg hit home, literally, for Cinda Pankratz.      Although she now lives in Clear Lake, she considers Parkersburg, the town where she grew up and attended school, to be home.  And with her sister living in the community, parents residing just outside of the town, and numerous relatives and friends there, she quickly mobilized to help.    Using her employer, Schonemann Realtors, as a headquarters, Pankratz organized a drive to collect goods and supplies for the community.  She then delivered the donations over the weekend and helped with the cleanup.     Pankratz, who also works at the V.F.W., said she was amazed by the out-pouring of donations and concern people shared.    “I’m so very thankful, since it’s going to be helping the people of Parkersburg,” she said.  “After being there this weekend and seeing how everyone is pulling together to help, I once again, became very proud to call it my hometown.”    Pankratz said that even though her sister, Sheryl, had told her about the damage, it could not have prepared her for what she saw.    “My sister’s house is located one block from total devastation.  Her house sustained damage, but to stand in her yard and look across the street is unbelievable.”    Sheryl wasn’t at home at the time the tornado hit, but members of the family were.  She was frantically trying to drive home as the storm was approaching.  Pankratz said Sheryl was able to reach her family by phone, and heard the loud rumbling and screams as the storm hit.  She was unable to complete the drive home because of debris blocking the way.  When she arrived on foot, she found her family on the front yard in shock by the scene.    In addition to collecting food, money and supplies Parkersburg residents might need, Pankratz has also organized a fundraiser for her town.    She contacted Theiss Shirts, of Clear Lake, with an idea to create a T-shirt which could be sold, with proceeds benefitting Parkersburg.  She and a friend designed the shirts and Theiss Shirts made the venture very affordable, she said.      “Theiss Shirts gave me an awesome deal, so we could charge very little and have part of the proceeds go back to the town.  I sold 200-plus in one day and the orders keep coming in.  That’s over $1,000 back to Parkersburg in one day!” Reaching out to schools    Fans and athletes took a moment Friday to think of Parkersburg before varsity softball and baseball games began at Lions Field.      The public was invited to contribute monetary donations of any size to a collection taken at the concession stand, with all funds going to the school system in Parkersburg.  The high school roof was pulled off and much of the school was destroyed.    In addition, the Clear Lake football program announced it will hold a car wash Thursday, June 5, with all proceeds directed to the Aplington-Parkersburg football program.  The car wash will be held at the Laser Wash on North 20th Street.    The Clear Lake School Board has also authorized Superintendent Dwight Pierson to make contact with officials with the Aplington-Parkersburg Community School Districts to determine if they may need the portable building or classroom equipment from Lincoln School.      The Board had approved advertising the sale of the portable building and miscellaneous classroom furniture from Lincoln now that the school has been closed.  In the fall, first and second graders will attend Clear Creek Elementary School.    If the Aplington-Parkersburg School District would have use for the portable building, student desks and other items, the Board said instead of selling the items, it will donate them to the district.    “The Board reserves the right to donate the above to AP to assist them to be preparing temporary classrooms for the 2008-2009 school year,  knowing that it will take some time to plan and build new facilities,” said Pierson. FFA helps in the fields    The Ventura-Lakeside FFA Chapter, along with members of the community, traveled to Parkersburg on Monday, June 2, to help an area farmer with clean-up following the tornado. Forty volunteers made the trip.    “When we turned the corner into Parkersburg, silence just descended on the bus.  We were all in shock by what we saw.  We have seen pictures of the area, but this was real and the pictures don’t do justice to seeing it in person,” said Lorene Dykstra, Ventura principal.    Much of the debris from the storm was dropped in fields surrounding Parkersburg.  Thousands of acres of family-farmed land is currently covered with small debris, making it impossible to navigate with field equipment or release livestock into.  Most of the crop ground was already planted, but cannot be sprayed, cultivated, or even harvested, until the debris is gone.  Removing the debris is time consuming and time is short, as the crop is growing and work needs to be done while the ground is still visible.    The Ventura group helped a Parkersburg farmer to clear a pasture for his cattle.    “It was hard work.  The thick, wet grass was up to our knees, making it difficult to comb through the pasture.  Practically every square foot of that ground had some sort of debris in it,” said Dawn Treloar, one of the volunteers.  “I talked briefly with the farm wife and she was so thankful for us coming.  She said that if we hadn’t come, the pasture would not be usable for the entire year.”    The volunteers were a mix of all ages, from elementary students to adults.  Reaction to the devastation in Parkersburg, however, was the same throughout the group.    “I couldn’t believe the total destruction,” said Sam Treloar, Ventura eighth grade student.  “There was debris everywhere.  The tornado splintered almost everything into small pieces.”    “I couldn’t believe how much those people lost,” said Brittany Boehnke, a Ventura senior.  “We found a lot of personal items like pictures, a wedding dress and things with people’s names on them.”    “I think everyone in the state could volunteer a whole day and there would still be work to do,” said Dykstra.    “I liked how everybody worked together to help those people out,” said Thomas Treloar, Ventura eighth grader.    The pasture the group worked in was about two blocks from town.  They worked three hours in the morning and three hours in the afternoon.  The American Red Cross supplied all volunteers with lunch.    “We should be proud of our kids,” said Dawn Treloar.  “They took a day to help a farm family out.  We always hear the bad things, but our kids did a great job and worked hard and I think had a good time doing it.” Realtors make delivery    Many thanks were given from citizens of Parkersburg on Friday May 30, as Julie McQuaid and Kristi Wilcke, of McQuaid Agency, delivered a large truck load of donated goods, using the McQuaid Agency Moving Truck.      “Words and pictures could never describe the devastation we saw,” said McQuaid.  “It’s unbelievable.  Tires in trees, metal wrapped around tree trunks like it was ribbon, some badly damaged homes appeared to have been lifted off their foundation and set back down forward or at a different angle of the foundation.  Blocks and blocks of nothing but foundations with a stack of rubble on top.”     McQuaid was first directed to deliver the donated goods collected in Clear Lake to the Veterans Memorial Building.  The Goodwill had a tent station across the street from it with racks of clothing outside with a “free” sign marked on them.  They also delivered goods to the Monsanto Seed Plant a few miles west of Parkersburg.  The supplies were unloaded onto pallets for delivery as needed.     “We visited with Ken Oldenburger, Butler County Supervisor of Parkersburg.  He couldn’t thank us enough.  He spoke of the walk he took with a FEMA representative early in the week where they confirmed 226 homes totally destroyed in a portion of the NE quadrant, which was mostly newer home developments. He said that was only in that particular area and that there were many more destroyed or badly damaged in additional areas. City water was restored on Friday.”    McQuaid and Wilcke observed rows and rows of damaged and destroyed vehicles lined up near a badly damaged storage units business.  There were tents and mobile units lined up with signs of insurance claim sites for people to go to.  FEMA workers and clean up volunteers were prevalent. Salvation Army and American Red Cross units were in various locations.     McQuaid Agency noted its thanks to D&D Signs for donating the donations drop off banner, along with businesses and citizens for their kindness and generosity in donations that were delivered.  They were very much appreciated.  Wildlife suffered, too    The devastation in Parkersburg also extended to wildlife, notes Terese Evans, director of the Black Hawk Wildlife Rehabilitation Project.  Evans shared a photo of a traumatized and malnourished fawn separated from its mother with her sister, Mary Stealy, of Ventura.      According to Stealy, the BHWRP has been notified of numerous cases involving wildlife injured and orphaned throughout the storm ravaged areas.  That organization is also welcoming donations from the public.      “Not all (animals) have been able to be saved because some are found too late, or too injured,” said Stealy.   “There have been fawns, fledglings from different song birds, raccoons and a baby screech owl.”  Last fall, Mary and her husband, Jeff, provided the habitat for a rehabilitated owl to be reintroduced back into nature.Here’s how to help    Information for volunteers and monetary donations to help rebuild Parkersburg is available at www.butlercoiowa.org.    Iowa Concern, a program of the Iowa State University Extension service, is mobilizing help.   Margaret Van Ginkle, coordinator of Iowa Concern, urges those wanting to help to call 1-800-447-1985 for direction.  She stressed volunteers should speak with officials before planning to arrive, so that their time may be best put to use.  Volunteers are asked to bring gloves and protective eye goggles.      Most of the leveled area in Parkersburg was north of Highway 57 on the central to easterly quadrant of town and just south of Highway 57.