After an EF-3 tornado destroyed Theresa McCarthy’s home in Louisiana on March 22, Convoy of Hope helped her family begin the process of rebuilding. Volunteers surrounded their home in Arabi, Louisiana, sifting through the rubble and salvaging what they could.
“I just looked at my house and thought, ‘How do I even begin this process?’” said Theresa. “My grandparents raised my mom and her brother in that house. [It] may have been small, but it was filled with lifetimes of love.”
Convoy of Hope’s teams helped Theresa’s family navigate the grief and uncharted territory that comes after a disaster. Ultimately, they knew they wanted to stay and rebuild —both their home and new memories.
“We had walked into the bathroom and my husband said, ‘Get on the floor!’ He laid down on top of me, and then boom — you could hear the glass going everywhere … the roof and walls were gone,” Theresa said.
The Aftermath
Survey teams with the National Weather Service confirmed the powerful tornado that struck Theresa’s house left an 11-mile path of destruction. The tornado lasted less than 20 minutes, but the destruction it caused affected much more than people were capable of fixing on their own.
“Convoy of Hope was here,” said Theresa. “They were so eager to figure out the best ways to support us. They provided meals, they were praying with us to calm our fears, [and] helped us salvage stuff. Honestly, we felt like God sent these people to guide us through the process.”
Convoy of Hope could not help people the way we do without the generosity of donors, partners, and supporters. Thank you for helping Convoy get the McCarthys back to making memories in their new home.
