Yolanda Crater is staying at a Red Cross shelter in Little Rock, AR after a tornado damaged her home. Yolanda says she’s grateful for the assistance she’s received from the Red Cross.
(Red Cross photo by Carl Manning)
Red Cross volunteer Lakyn Webb assists Yolanda Webb who is staying in a Red Cross shelter after her home was damaged by a tornado that went through Little Rock, AR. She knows the Red Cross provides help in times of need because of a home fire she had several years ago.
(Red Cross photo by Carl Manning)
By Carl Manning
American Red Cross
When tornado damage forced Yolanda Crater from her Little Rock, AR home, she knew the Red Cross would help, just as it had in 2014 when she had a fire in her home.
“The Red Cross came out then and helped and now they’re helping again after this,” Yolanda said. “They are some loving, giving people. They are truly a blessing.”
This time, Yolanda was at home watching the weather warnings on TV and from what she was seeing, Yolanda knew that it could be serious. Within minutes, she found out firsthand just how serious it would be.
“It was coming a little too fast and by the time it got nearby, I was braced in the hallway,” she recalled.
Before she really had much time to think about it, the tornado had arrived and brought with it howling wind and destructive power.
“It took the roof off the house, and it got the kitchen and a little bit of the hallway,” she said. “I was holding on to the walls as best I could, and everything started rumbling and the next thing I knew, I was praying and praying,”
Yolanda lived alone in the single-family home and since 2016, she has been using a wheelchair because of injuries she received while doing repairs after her home fire.
For Yolanda, it just made sense to seek out the Red Cross after the tornado. This time she found them at a shelter it was operating at the Calvary Baptist Church of Little Rock.
She said being at the shelter has been a good experience. She has a safe place to stay with hot meals and snacks at the ready and health services available. When she needs to move about, there’s a Red Cross volunteer there to push her wheelchair.
When the weather is warm and sunny, Yolanda likes to sit outside the shelter and enjoys talking to those who walk by.
“I’m blessed to be here. These guys are marvelous. I’m so grateful to everybody,” she said. “It’s so heartwarming. I’m so grateful to all in the Red Cross.”
But even as Yolanda is dealing with her troubles, her thoughts are of others.
“There are so many more people who are worse off than me. They lost everything and I’m praying for them,” she said.
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