Union College students deployed to Arkansas to help with tornado cleanup

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A group of Union College students is in Arkansas helping a community that was devastated by a tornado.

Twenty students with the International Rescue and Relief program are in Hot Springs Village, where an EF2 tornado hit last week.

Ethan Ross, one of the students, said they are mostly helping with cleaning up trees and roads and also tarping some roofs.

“We’ve been carrying that debris up to the road so that FEMA can later come and pick it up,” he said.

Jackson Teller, another student, said he is impressed by the resilience of the community.

“They offered us anything we wanted,” he said. “They bought us snacks; they bought us drinks to make sure we were hydrated.”

The Union College team usually assists with disaster cleanup one time each school year.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to have such a good cadre of students to bring to these events,” said Andrew Saunders, the program director.

All the work done by Union College volunteers is completely free and helps offset expenses for homeowners.