An EF 2 tornado tore through the town of Baring, MO on Friday evening August 4, 2023.  With a population of 125, most of the residents of Baring saw significant damage to homes, cars, and the community.  Loretta Poston was sad to see damage to her home where she grew up and where she and her father lived for many years. Loretta has fond memories of growing up in Baring with her family. She remarked how friendly the town was in her childhood and appreciated how everyone knew everybody, socialized together, and helped each other whenever it was needed. Loretta moved to Kirksville and was a teacher for many years. Upon retirement she moved back to Baring to live with her father in 2013.  After his death, she remained in her childhood home.  During the pandemic she feels like some of the social interactions in the community were curtailed. She has been so encouraged by the reaction of the community to the tornado. Loretta says, "The support and immediacy of response has been great, and we see open arms to all of the neighbors. It is so good to see that caring again."

On Saturday, seven Red Cross volunteers arrived in Baring and went house to house to assess damage levels.  Much of the work was done walking due to down power lines, tree limbs and a large amount of debris from damaged homes.  On Sunday, ten Red Cross volunteers returned to meet individually with families to gather information and connect them to needed immediate resources. Loretta commented on the Red Cross saying, "The volunteers and resources are so appreciated." Red Cross volunteers are trained to serve in a variety of ways during a disaster. Some of the tasks include classifying damage levels of personal homes, listening to the needs and concerns of families affected and gathering information to connect clients to resources for assistance.  Contact the Red Cross today to consider how you might assist those in need during a disaster at https://www.redcross.org/volunteer/become-a-volunteer.html#step1

Financial contribution to the Red Cross can be made at https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/