Amherst County students, staff help with tornado clean-up efforts in Elon area

Three days later, Childress’ friends and classmates — along with hundreds more volunteers from Amherst County Public Schools — swarmed Deerfield Drive to help him and his neighbors clean their yards, clear debris and collect personal items such as photos, stuffed animals, toys, Christmas ornaments and clothing.

“I’m glad to know that my friends are here for me,” Childress said. “It’s heartwarming to know that they’re coming out for me and other people who lost their house. It’s heartwarming to see the good people still have in this world with chaos and all that, [and knowing] that people within your own community are coming out to support you is so awesome. It really touches the heart.”

According to an email from Superintendent Steve Nichols Amherst County Public Schools didn’t have class Wednesday so students and staff could participate in a “Day of Helping.” Classes will be back in session Thursday.

“We just feel the empathy. We feel like we want to do something for our community and the children and families in Amherst County, and any little way we can contribute to help, we are all grateful to do it,” said Amelon Elementary School Assistant Principal Cindy Copp who knows families who were affected by the tornado.

Many volunteers spent the day going from yard to yard picking up trash and trying to find valuables and personal items.

Amelon Elementary School teacher Brittany Sites said it was difficult deciding whether something she found in the rubble was valuable.

“I feel like anything could be valuable to the people who have nothing left in their house, so it’s hard to place value in their stuff when you don’t know what’s important to them,” Sites said. “You never know. The smallest thing could be important to someone.”

Dozens of River Church members coordinated the volunteer efforts Wednesday, providing section leaders in the Elon area to direct volunteers on where to go and what to do.

“The devastation is terrible, but the community coming together in a disaster like this is incredible,” said Jason Buendorf, a member of River Church and a section leader at Deerfield Drive.

Steve Amburgey, of River Church, said more than 500 students and staff from the school division as well as community members volunteered Wednesday.

In the lot beside the Food Lion on Amelon Expressway, volunteers parked their cars early Wednesday morning,registered and waited to get on a bus to head out to Deerfield and Nottaway Drive drives, two of the areas the tornado left devastated.

As the bus drove along Elon Road by Nottaway Drive, the volunteers fell silent, watching in awe as they saw damaged and destroyed houses, downed power lines and uprooted trees.

Amherst County High School junior Leilani Williams said she cried on the bus when she saw the destruction.

“Just to think that people want to feel safe in their homes and something natural that you can’t stop takes it all away, it’s scary because a lot of people can get hurt,” Williams said.

When Central Elementary School reading specialist Christine Spicer saw the Childress home, she said she had to stand there for moments in awe. She said the pictures she’s seen have not demonstrated the severity of the tornado’s impact.

“I can’t imagine being in their shoes, looking at the task of trying to clean up and having to rebuild on top of that and being left to do it on their own,” Spicer said. “The pictures don’t do it justice for a lack of a better word, to feel it when you come closer and start seeing the utter devastation. It’s just heartbreaking.”

Amherst County High School sophomore Quamayine Poindexter said he had friends whose houses “got really messed up,” and it was “nice knowing we could do something to help.”

Liz Ramos covers K-12 education for The News & Advance. Reach her at (434) 385-5532.