Children Survive Storm that Landed Pet Horse in Grandparents’ Kitchen

contributed by Angela Nicholas, Red Cross Volunteer

When Barbara Green and her husband dug their way out of the rubble that was their home before the March 2 tornado ripped through West Liberty, Kentucky, they found their horse lying on the kitchen floor.  The couple rode out the storm in the hallway of their home and survived without injury.  “We got up and dug our way out.  I found the tornado had carried our horse through the roof and into our kitchen.  It was laying on its side but was okay,” she said.

Green brought her two granddaughters, Audrey Cole, 3 and Shelby Cole, 6, with her to Morgan Central Elementary School where the Red Cross had set up a Service Center to provide resources for tornado survivors.  The girls and their parents also lost their home to the storm. Green said the horse and the rest of the family’s animals except for one dog that was killed were okay and being tended by West Liberty veterinarian Dave Fugit.  They included a cat with a broken leg and a cat with a broken jaw, but otherwise, the injuries were not too severe.

Disaster through the eyes of a child: American Red Cross mental health professionals use art and other techniques to help small children work through the horror they experience during a major disaster. These drawings depict how a 6-year-old felt after a tornado destroyed her home. The picture to the left shows a fearful expression with the house torn into pieces at the bottom of the page. The drawing to the right shows how the child placed a smile back on her face after spending some time visiting with a Red Cross mental health worker. – Photo by Angela Nicholas

“Our animals were trapped,” said Shelby, who noted that the family has a donkey, chickens and ducks as well.  “It was sad and scary.”  Her little sister described what the storm did to their house, saying, “It flew everywhere.”

Volunteer Mental Health Professionals, Bruce Funk of York County, Pennsylvania, and Alex Weinstein of Charlotte, N.C greeted the children at the Service Center.  Funk spent some time talking to them and presented them with small Mickey Mouse toys to cheer them up.  Weinstein then chatted with the older child and used art to help her work through her fears.  Green received assistance to help the family get back on the road to recovery, and the little girls left the Center smiling.

Six-year-old Shelby Cole, who survived the March 2 Kentucky tornado, listens intently to American Red Cross Mental Health volunteer Alex Weinstein of the Greater Carolinas Chapter in Charlotte. Weinstein and other Red Cross mental health volunteers use artwork and other techniques to help children work through their fears. – Photo by Angela Nicholas

 

How You Can Help

You can help people affected by disasters by making a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief.  You may donate at www.redcross.org or call 1-800-733-2767.  Contributions may also be sent to your local chapter or American Red Cross, P. O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.  On rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters.