World Renew Responding to Oklahoma Tornado

World Renew, the Christian Reformed Church’s disaster relief and development agency, in partnership with Reformed Church World Service, is starting to respond to the devastation wrought when a two-mile wide tornado swept through a suburb of Oklahoma City, Okla., on Monday afternoon.

The tornado with winds of up to 200 miles per hour killed more than 50 people and injured at least 230.

The storm struck Moore, a suburban area outside Oklahoma City, at the peak of the day when many people were at work and school.

The storm tore up at least two schools, a hospital, and numerous other buildings. Of the 50 fatalities so far, 20 are children. Today, families await additional news as rescue workers continue to look for survivors beneath the rubble.

“Our hearts break with all those who have experienced such painful loss. Every severe storm is hurtful to those who experience it, but this one is especially tragic because of the magnitude of the destruction and the number of lives lost – especially those of school children,” said Bill Adams, World Renew Director of Disaster Response Services. 

“Yet, we know that our God is bigger than even this storm. We want to bring some of His hope to the people in Oklahoma.”

World Renew Regional Managers, Don and Ardy Pranger, were already at work responding to the tornadoes that struck Texas last week, when they heard about the Oklahoma City tornado. They got in touch with government officials and others in Oklahoma to evaluate how they could best respond.

Based on those conversations, World Renew is sending Early Response Coordinators, Rich and Pat Grasman, to Moore this week to help with Spiritual Care and Early Assessment, and to plan for cleanup and long-term recovery efforts.

World Renew and Reformed Church World Service also expect to stand by disaster survivors for the long-term, repairing and rebuilding homes for the elderly, the disabled, and those who lack insurance or ability to do repairs on their own.

This will be carried out by some of the more than 3,000 short- and long-term volunteers from the Christian Reformed Church, the Reformed Church of America, and other denominations that World Renew has on its roster who are trained and ready to respond quickly when disasters strike.

“Amidst sometimes tumultuous weather, we can always count on the sun rising in the morning and setting in the evening – even if it’s hidden by cloud cover! This disaster has been horrific, but God is faithful. He will give us the strength that we need for the task at hand,” said Adams.

To support this effort,  donate online at worldrenew.net or by calling 1-800-552-7972(US) or 1-800-730-3490 (Canada). Checks marked “Tornadoes 2013” can also be sent to:

World Renew US
2850 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49560

World Renew Canada
3475 Mainway
P.O. Box 5070 STN LCD
Burlington, Ontario, L7R 3Y8