April 3, 2000
MARK LIETCH of Travis Avenue Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Jeanette Mathis of Stadium Drive Baptist Church in Fort Worth and Sharon McKinney and Larry Johns of Mission Arlington serve a hot lunch prepared by the Tarrant Association disaster relief unit for relief workers and residents of an Arlington neighborhood.
Baptists dispense relief after
tornadoes rip Tarrant County
___By Dan Martin
___Texas Baptist Communications
___FORT WORTH--Tarrant County Baptists quickly responded with food and counseling to victims of rush-hour tornadoes that devastated downtown Fort Worth and the suburbs March 28.
___The storms hit the downtown area about 6:15 p.m. and then struck glancing blows at south Arlington and portions of Grand Prairie.
___Five people were killed--two in storm damage, one in a storm-related traffic accident and two to drowning. More than 100 others were injured, several seriously, and property damage was estimated in the millions of dollars.
___Officials said the death toll would have been much higher had the tornado hit an hour earlier, before workers in the high-rise glass-covered office buildings in the downtown area had left for home. As it was, many of the workers had departed by the time the storm hit.
___After dancing close to the ground in the near northwest side of downtown, the storm touched down at Seventh and University, an area that houses the Fort Worth Stock Show and the city's famous art museums.
VOLUNTEERS from Tarrant Baptist Association lent their support to victims of tornadoes in the area last week. Lisa Snyder of Mission Arlington rakes roof debris from a lawn in Arlington.
___It hit several downtown buildings--including Calvary Cathedral, which formerly housed First Baptist Church--and knocked glass from numerous structures.
___It then hit residential sections south of Interstate 20 in Arlington and Grand Prairie.
___Tarrant Baptist Association activated its disaster relief unit--a truck and 30-foot trailer--about midmorning March 29, at the request of the Arlington Police Department.
___Staffed by 10 volunteers and a similar number of helpers from Mission Arlington, the unit was moved into a devastated upscale neighborhood near Matlock and Bardin streets. The volunteers served a hot meal of ground beef and mixed vegetables on front lawns of homes in the neighborhood.
___Many of the homes were nearly destroyed, with torn-away roofs, broken windows and other damage. Others had only minimal damage.
___Bobby Cox, director of church and community ministries for the association, said the unit fixed and prepared more than 1,000 meals Wednesday, March 29. Dinner consisted of chicken and dumplings and green beans.
___The American Red Cross requested Baptists move the unit to the campus of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth for service later in the week, Cox said. It was scheduled to prepare 3,000 meals Thursday and Friday. They were to be transported to relief workers and victims across the county in Emergency Relief Vehicles.
___Tarrant Association and Red Cross officials were to assess the situation late last week and determine the extent of Baptist relief aid that would be continued, Cox said.
___Volunteer counselors were dispatched to the Will Rogers Coliseum, where about 175 victims were given emergency shelter, he reported. The counselors were on hand to help victims with emotional trauma.
___Tom Law, director of missions for Tarrant Association, said early reports indicate no churches affiliated with the association were damaged by the storm or the flooding, which followed in some areas.
___"We made a survey of all the churches--particularly those we could not reach by telephone--and all of them appear to be undamaged," Law said.
___Neither of the Southern Baptist Convention institutions in the city--Southwestern Seminary and the broadcast facilities of the North American Mission Board--were hit by the tornadoes.
___Efforts were under way to provide assistance to members of Baptist churches who need emergency help with food, clothing, lodging and medication. Assistance can be requested from the association office by calling (817) 927-1911.
___To make contributions to the relief effort, contact Texas Baptist Men, 333 N. Washington, Dallas 75246, (214) 828-5353, or Tarrant Baptist Association, 4520 James Ave., Fort Worth 76115, (817) 927-1911.
___
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