Students Help 3,300 Families After Ice Storm Disaster

When Patricia Neal heard tree limbs cracking like gunshots around her Louisiana home during January's ice storms, she could only pray for help to arrive.

The 78-year-old Monroe resident had lived in her house since 1971 and had never seen anything like it. Thick ice coated everything, snapping branches and toppling trees across her beloved property.

"I asked God to send me help," Patricia said. Help came in the form of something she didn't expect: a group of teenagers from Cypress Baptist Church.

Lindsay and 13 other students gave up their Saturday to join Samaritan's Purse volunteers clearing storm damage. They hauled tree trunks, removed broken limbs, and transformed Patricia's debris-filled yard back into the place she takes pride in.

"The easiest way of showing someone that I care is by showing them that I am willing to take the time out of my day for you," Lindsay said. "We are doing something that is going to matter."

The students joined hands with Patricia to pray before starting work. After finishing, they gathered in her living room and presented her with a Bible signed by every volunteer.

"I'm stunned that there are so many young ones," Patricia said through tears. "I feel blessed. There's no other word for it but blessed."

For student volunteer Wesley, who plans to study theology at Liberty University this fall, the experience was transformative. "I've done missions trips, but I've never done something where it's just about being the hands and feet of Jesus, and that's it," he said.

The Ripple Effect

More than 3,300 families across Mississippi and Louisiana have received help from volunteers since the late January ice storms hit. The students from Cypress Baptist Church helped three homeowners in just one day of service.

Hundreds more homeowners in West Monroe, Corinth, Oxford, and New Albany still need assistance clearing storm damage. Volunteers continue arriving from across the country to join the recovery effort.

The work goes beyond clearing debris. Volunteers share meals with homeowners, listen to their stories, and offer hope when people feel forgotten.

"As we serve, we're sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ and reminding people that they have not been forgotten," said Jason Kimak, vice president of U.S. Disaster Relief Programs.

For student volunteer Brylee, the experience pushed her beyond her comfort zone. "I don't ever do this stuff, so I was a little bit nervous because I am not qualified, but now that I am doing it, it's fun!" she said.

The partnership between Samaritan's Purse and Student Leadership University aims to equip young people to become leaders through service, showing them how faith translates into action when communities need it most.