By John Seward
 

On June 15, 2023, disaster struck the City of Perryton, a small community in the Texas Panhandle just south of the Oklahoma state line, after a powerful EF-3 tornado blew through town leaving devastation in its dust. The tornado killed three people and injured more than 75.

The American Red Cross North Texas Region quickly mobilized opening an emergency shelter at the Perryton High School that same day and providing comfort and care to those impacted. Nearly 200 homes were damaged or destroyed in the storm leaving hundreds without a place to call home.

Kimberly Jewell, a long time Perryton resident and business owner lost her home following the storm. Mobility impaired Jewell describes riding out the tornado hiding in her home’s bathroom “holding onto the pipes” as she describes. With assistance from City officials Jewell made her way to the high school where she would stay for the next two weeks. Jewell remarked that she had never been surrounded by so much kindness, reflecting on her stay in the Red Cross shelter.

“When I feared most, there were so many people around me to provide support” Jewell said of the Red Cross staff. With the assistance of volunteers from the shelter resident transition program, Jewell was connected with a local housing non-profit that is now helping in her long-term recovery. Jewell remarked time and again how thankful she was for the Red Cross services.

The American Red Cross responds to disasters big and small everyday across the nation, providing a warm meal and a safe place to stay as people impacted begin the long road to disaster recovery. All Red Cross assistance is a gift and is possible thanks to the generosity of the American people.