On Wednesday evening, April 8, a tornado tore through a part of Northeast Arkansas just 20 miles south of where a recent tornado had struck in Jonesboro barely over a week ago. Arkansas Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) assessors and chaplains were on the ground Wednesday evening immediately after the storm lifted to assess damages and find ways to support those impacted.
This tornado, which has not yet been rated by the National Weather Service, damaged 31 homes in Harrisburg and surrounding Poinsett County. Disaster Relief volunteers were already working early Thursday morning to minister to residents. The DR Incident Command Center is set up at the Poinsett County Sherriff’s Department. Recovery units from Tri-County Association, Central Baptist Church in Jonesboro and Corners Chapel Baptist Church in Trumann are working to meet needs and assist with clean-up from the storms. Additionally, the Corners Chapel Feeding Unit is set up to provide nourishment to first responders, displaced residents and volunteers.
At this time your prayers are needed in the following areas.
- Pray for those who experienced damage and devastation.
- Pray for local officials who are already overwhelmed with COVID-19 as they make key decisions in the recovery efforts.
- Pray for healthcare professionals as they handle this situation in addition to the demands already placed on them due to COVID-19.
- Pray for DR leadership as they navigate this relief effort amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.
- Pray for DR volunteers who will be on the front lines serving those in need.
- Pray for ABSC churches as they minister to their community.
Watch for continued daily updates at abscdisasterrelief.org and arkansasbaptist.org and on ABSC and ABN social media accounts.