Mapleton Tornado Survivor Crew Bringing Relief to Joplin, MO

(MAPLETON, IA) The twister that tore through Mapleton, Iowa on April 9th has forever changed its past, and is still affecting its future.

After nearly two months of rebuilding her own town, a young woman is hoping to make a difference in the lives of those affected by a similar disaster.

A Mapleton, Iowa, group, sponsored by a church, is planning on giving relief to victims of the Joplin, Missouri, twister.

With more than 125 dead, and at least 200 still missing, the time is right for them to do whatever's needed to help out.

To the residents of Mapleton, Iowa, the EF-3 tornado that tore through town in April still seems unreal.

"I couldn't believe it that it actually got hit that hard, and the destruction that it did," says Katie Krusen of Mapleton, Iowa.

More than 100 homes were damaged, but out of tragedy 22 year old Katie Krusen saw a miracle.

"We just went through a tornado, and we were blessed enough not to have any fatalities," says Krusen.

When another twister ripped through Joplin, Missouri, Katie heard that her old Concordia roommate had lost family members. It was then that she knew she had to help.

So Katie and a group from St. Matthew's Lutheran church will be leaving soon to help share Mapleton's "miracle" with Joplin, Missouri.

The group's heading south on a 3 day relief trip this July.

"I just felt that we needed to do something, because we just went through a tornado and we were blessed enough not to have any fatalities," says Krusen.

They're a Mapleton Tornado Survivor Crew, it's a group that's seen disaster first hand and will be spreading relief to those in need and helping out any way they can.

"People are good at pointing out the wrong things, and people seem to thrive on the bad things here in the world, but there are an awful lot of good things that happen also, people do come together when needed, and pour out their hearts, and are there to help people," says Nazaria Kadarabek, of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Mapleton.

Katie's group is still seeking volunteers, they're accepting anyone over the age of 15, but you must be signed up by June 30th.

The group is accepting monetary donations through the First State Bank Plus in Mapleton, it is located at 441 Main Street. The phone number is: (712) 881 - 2161.

The group is also accepting physical supplies for the trip, like bottles of water and work gloves. They can be dropped off at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, at 504 Walnut Street, the phone number is: (712) 881-2243.

If you're interested in volunteering, please contact either Katie at (712) 840 - 9044 or Nazaria at (712) 898 - 7604.

This story was reported by Jacob Heller. You can contact him at: jheller@kmeg.com

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