KSHB 41 reporter Isabella Ledonne reports on stories in Overland Park, Johnson County and topics about government accountability. Share your story idea with Isabella.
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The City of Belton is still cleaning up after an EF1 tornado hit the area on Friday night. The tornado was on the ground for five minutes, with peak winds of 110 miles per hour.
The heart of Belton is coming out in the aftermath of Friday's tornado. Dozens of neighbors, church members and volunteers spent the weekend helping people in Belton get back to normal.
"We've been cutting over there and hauling for the last few days," neighbor Merl Hadlock said. "It was something you don't expect to happen in your neighborhood."
For neighbor Yvonne Garman, the storm brought heartbreak and anxiety. Her 60-year-old trees were cut down, destroying her yard.
"I'm a widow and by myself, I don't have any family, and I have to do this by myself," Garman said. "Then on day two, all these church folks came, and it was like God was sitting on my shoulders."
LifeQuest Church in Belton canceled Sunday's 11 a.m. service to help the community, bringing hope with helping hands.
"It was a huge relief that I'm not alone," Garman said. "That's the biggest relief right there, because I've been walking around for two days, going, 'How am I going to do this?'"
The pastor of LifeQuest Church explained that the congregation plans to be out all next week helping where needed.
"Giving people hope in the midst of a storm," pastor Chris Pinion said. "We couldn't just say that we're going to be there praying for the people when we have ways that we can help them."
Church members helped all across town, including hauling trees from neighbor Jenna Schwarting's yard.
"We are missing two sections [of our fence], they are somewhere in the cemetery," Schwarting said. "They're moving leaves, moving fence panels, trash and debris. We're very grateful."
The community effort is contagious. Nearly every neighbor in Belton is pitching in to clean up trees and take them to a debris pile off Markey Road.
"Things like this happen, and it shows you that community is still there, willing to help others without expectations other than just to help your neighbor," Mark Hill, who lives in Belton, said.
The road to recovery is just starting, and so are the dozens of neighbors picking up the pieces.
"They just kept coming and coming, asking, 'What do you want us to do?'" Garman said. "They started hauling, and that was it; they just kept going. It was overwhelming joy."
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