Waverly, Va - “The Lord spoke to me and asked me to come down here and volunteer some labor," says Charles Camp, a volunteer with Operation Blessing, said.
Camp was one of more than 70 volunteers who traveled to Waverly on Friday to rebuild a town left in shambles after Wednesday’s devastating tornado.
“The back and the roof and the sides, and there’s some shifting in the sides as well," homeowner Ophelia Hatch-Jackson described about her home after the event. "I was at home praying."
“We’re focusing and concentrating on putting tarps over the roofs that have been damaged," Joseph Poe, a local Volunteer Chaplain, said.
Officials say a number of homes were destroyed and more than forty left damaged.
“It’s pretty horrific you know, it could have been a lot worse," Donald Van, who's from the area, explained.
"By looking at the trees and stuff, it appears it stayed a little higher in some places but it did do some devastating damage on a lot also."
The devastation ultimately took three lives in Waverly.
As for the cleanup, volunteers say they still have a ways to go.
"This is going to be an on-going process for a couple of weeks. I’m looking for resources, cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items, paper goods," the Chaplain said.
For those in the community, they hope the solidarity will be long lasting.
“I’m gonna continue to pray that we’re not gonna release this, that we’re gonna keep this bond," Hatch-Jackson said,
If you would like to volunteer, Poe says they are meeting at the Fresh Pride on 460 each morning at 9.
