In the News

The day was unlike any other, said Mayflower couple Martin and Kristin Patton, recalling the intensity of April 27, 2014, during a one-year tornado anniversary service at First Baptist Church of Mayflower on Sunday.

“I never would have thought sitting at home, watching cartoons with the kids, things could change so quickly,” Martin said. “But that’s exactly what happened. It was within seconds that everything was gone and we were laying in the yard, broken, bloodied and covered in mud.”

Their son and daughter were 6 and 2 years old, respectively, at the time of the tornado.

Holding back tears, Martin said, “In earthly terms, we’ll never know how we survived,” adding that his family will forever carry the scars of that day.

Kristin said, if she had not received an alert thanks to her being proactive after other recent tornadic activity in the area, the family would not be alive today.

“I don’t know why I’m still standing here but I can tell you that the sound of the tornado was horrific,” she said.

Immediately following the tornado, Kristin emotionally said her son spoke of how God had allowed the family to survive.

He then began witnessing to those who came to their aid.

Martin and Kristin thanked the support from numerous members of the Mayflower community, and those who came from across the U.S. to show their love for the family.

During the service, a number of special guests read Biblical scripture, provided testimony of the night and gave their messages of hope to those still struggling.

U.S. Congressman French Hill called the remembrance “a day of rebirth after a year of difficult times.”

Hill said, in the months following, the affected in Faulkner County witnessed the true sense of community, helping each other pick up the pieces and bring some normalcy back into their lives.

“The first point of love and support in any community is neighbor helping neighbor and I don’t think we’ve seen a better example of that than what has happened in the past year here in Mayflower,” he said.

Former Faulkner County Judge Allen Dodson said, through the tragedy, God provided individuals with opportunities to be of service to others.

“It seems just like it was yesterday – April 27, 2014 – but in other ways, it seems like such a long time. So many hard hours worked. So many tears shed,” he said. “So much difficulty. Pain, anguish.”

Mayflower Mayor Randy Holland, who sang “How Great Thou Art” during the service, was among the other special guests who were recognized for their leadership and volunteerism in helping the community move forward.

Throughout the service, reflections of not only of the tornado itself, but the support after that night in April shined through one year later.

Janice Mann, one of those volunteers with the Interfaith and Partners Disaster Recovery Alliance, said “calamity and tragedy are all a part of this fallen world” but that no burden is too heavy for people with faith to overcome.

“We saw that [tragedy] a year ago. Some folks are seeing that that still,” she said. “But those in the kingdom of heaven have an intimate relationship with the one who says ‘Come to me.’”

Her organization, a grouping of about 20 churches created to help fulfill unmet needs of tornado victims, is still on the ground and meets regularly to determine what lies ahead in long-term recovery.

“We all know that there were a lot of homes affected – 400-plus were destroyed or had major damage, 825 affected,” Mann said. “Forty-one percent of those had no insurance. Others were under insured.”

Since its inception, the alliance has had more than 400 clients, with 250-plus projects such as repairs, rebuilding and storage.

“The work is done when the last need is met, or when the dollars run out,” Mann said, adding that the organization has hopes of building eight additional homes in the area this fall.

Samaritan’s Purse spent three weeks in Mayflower following the tornado, and Andy Beauchamp, a manager with the nonprofit organization, said crews are back again.

This time, Samaritan’s Purse will spend time “to help mend the community.”

“We’re allowed to come back and construct homes, repair homes to minister to those who are still in need and are hurting in this area,” Beauchamp said.

A slideshow of photos showing the devastation immediately after the EF-4 tornado was shown on two screens during the singing of “God Of This City.”

As the song neared its end, the photos shifted toward the present – a community with less visible scars and a resilience to keep going.

First Baptist Church pastor David Fox said the days were difficult in the days after April 27, 2014.

At times, the religious leader said he felt inadequate, unable to fully serve the community in a way that he thought would be beneficial.

A note from his wife on one of those hard days shifted his focus and brought him back on track.

Fox also credited his personal faith for helping him endure through the struggles of the past year, with the Mayflower community “getting back to a little normal.”