WYNNE, Ark. — As storms rolled through the Mid-South Wednesday, there was a sense of uneasiness for those in areas where tornadoes hit less than a week ago.
Wednesday’s storms were far less severe, but they didn’t make the cleanup process any easier. At one point, the city of Wynne, Arkansas was under a tornado watch. The watch now cleared.
Almost every block in Wynne has some kind of damage. The rain that fell steadily throughout the day added insult to injury.
“It’s just raw. People’s emotions are very raw right now,” said Matthew Hodges, lead pastor at Wynne First Assembly of God.
Dark storm clouds had many people concerned Wednesday, in a neighborhood that had been decimated.
“We were just taking cover a few moments ago, a couple hours ago actually, and even my own daughter is just bursting out in tears. She just remembers the initial hunkering down back Friday. and then all of a sudden this is coming back through again today,” Hodges said.
His church is opening its doors to the community.
“We’re here to allow people to tell their story. There’s healing in peoples; story and so really, that’s all that we’ve been doing, is listening and having a heart of compassion and just meeting them right where they’re at,” he said. “The emotions are all over the spectrum.”
The weather Wednesday was not allowing disaster relief organization Convoy of Hope to go out and help people pick up debris.
“We want to be safe and smart and not get caught in something that’s dangerous, so we’ve been inside for a couple hours. Otherwise we would be at a job site right now,” said Paul Logan with Convoy of Hope.
But through the storm, Pastor Hodges says the city is resilient. He’s been amazed by the different groups and people coming together.
“It’s a beautiful sight and it just shows you what the true character of this community is, and I’m proud to be a member of Wynne,” he said.