Volunteer groups continue storm cleanup efforts in East Texas

SMITH COUNTY — Groups of volunteers made it to East Texas to help with storm recovery efforts. Texans on Mission, formally know as Texas Baptist Men, have helped homeowners who are unable or cannot afford to remove trees from their properties. According to our news partner KETK, the group worked in a neighborhood off of CR 1111 near Chandler Tuesday afternoon.

Tyler resident Lela Clarke said her and her family are extremely grateful for everything the group has done. “It makes me start crying, they’re not getting paid for that,” Clarke said. She is grateful the volunteer group lent a helping hand when they felt hopeless.

“The question they always ask was, ‘why did you come help us?’ The answer is because God loves you,” Marcel Hunt, with Texans on Mission, said.

After intense storms hit Smith County, the Houston area men and women traveled to East Texas to work. They are going neighborhood to neighborhood clearing debris left on houses and vehicles.

The Clarke family lost their van after it was crushed by a large tree.

“The van was for picking up my grandchildren from school, for taking my mom to a doctor’s visits,” Clarke said.

For the Clarke’s, Texans on Mission arrived just in time.

For 13 days, they were without power until it was finally restored Sunday.

“That’s when all the angels started coming to our house,” Clarke said.

Texans on Mission told KETK news they won’t leave until the mess from the storm is cleared.