Cleveland, Tenn.–Church of God Men and Women of Action (MWOA) broke ground on two homes which are being built following the devastating tornadoes that swept through Cleveland, Tennessee last April.
[1]Ron and Stella Yarber, fourth and fifth from left, are joined by family and volunteers at the groundbreaking for their new home.
On April 27, 2011, nine people were killed in Bradley County, Tennessee, the county where Cleveland is the county seat and the Church of God International Offices are located. Exactly ten months after the tornadoes destroyed countless homes, MWOA joined with several agencies and firms on February 27 for the ceremonial groundbreakings.
The first home being rebuilt is on property belonging to the Yarber family. On April 27, Lisa Yarber and her two daughters were awakened by the tornado, which seconds later ripped their home off its foundation, killing Lisa. Across the property, the home of Lisa’s parents, Ron and Stella Yarber, was also destroyed. The new home is being built on the exact site of the home where Lisa lived with her daughters.
[2]Yarber home after tornado
The home rebuild represents the partnership between multiple agencies which have come together over the last year in response to the disaster. Primary financial assistance to build the home was received through insurance, FEMA, and the Long Term Recovery Organization (LTRO), a local organizing group formed in the days following the tornadoes. At the groundbreaking, blocks completing the foundation were put in place by a local contractor who is donating the labor. The home design and other assistance is being provided by the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, while the bulk of the construction itself is being coordinated by MWOA. A group of 24 workers from Abundant Life Ministries Church of God in Largo, Florida, led by project leader Dick Martin,will arrive next week to work five consecutive days to get the home under roof toward a completion date of April 27—the one year anniversary of the tornado.
The second groundbreaking on February 27 was held in northern Bradley County for Rosie Miller, whose home was also destroyed on April 27. Her home is being built with the same mixture of funding and Ed Manous of Georgia is the project leader. Volunteers for both projects are coming from Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and California.
–Cameron Fisher, Church of God Communications