Neighbors rally to clear debris, help family after fatal tornado. Here’s how to help
After a 2-minute tornado tore through northern Sedgwick County, killing 64-year-old Ricky Schale and ripping his house from its foundation, neighbors are working to help Schale’s family as they deal with the physical wreckage and the loss of the father of five, called a “beloved member of the community” in a GoFundMe set up to aid with funeral expenses.
Monica Conyers lives across the street from where Schale’s home was in the 1500 block of East 125th St. N. near I-135. Since the storm neighbors like Conyers and her father, Kent, have shown up, dropping off home-cooked meals, picking through debris and searching for anything salvageable alongside Schale’s family and friends.
Conyers’ husband, a firefighter, was at the station early Sunday when the call came in that Schale’s house had been blown off its base.
“It was kind of a shock,” she said. “He heard the call and was concerned it was us, so we knew it was bad overnight. And then we woke up … and we were kind of just in disbelief.”
By morning, the scale of the storm-turned-tornado became more visible: damaged homes, scattered furniture and personal items that didn’t belong where they had landed. Conyer said that in her yard, they found a mattress and a sink.
Conyer said she first learned what had happened to Schale the way many neighbors did: indirectly, through posts shared online. A message posted on Facebook from the mother of Schale’s children was the first confirmation for her and other neighbors that he had died during the sudden storm.
“I messaged her and just asked if we could bring food,” Conyer said. That message quickly turned into something larger than a single offer. “So the neighbors got a collection for money to pay for food, so we just did food for the family and workers the past few days.”
What’s happened since wasn’t the product of a single organized effort, but rather a steady, informal rotation of neighbors, family members and friends lending their support, first through meal donations and volunteering clean-up time, the through creation of and contributions to a GoFundMe.
“There’s so many people, from Spencer Road … to all over have just been every day over there, picking up stuff, looking for valuables,” Conyer said.
Farmers and landowners brought in heavy equipment where they could. Others arrived with trucks, gloves or simply the willingness and time to help out. There’s still a lot left to be done, Conyer said, but the response has been constant. She said it’s the same pattern and kindness she’s seen from her neighbors before, including when flooding hit their property the previous June.
“In some ways, it wasn’t surprising at all. That’s just what this little community does,” she said. “I told my kids, like, we’re fortunate to live in the Midwest where there’s a culture of people coming alongside you in a time of need.”
Conyer said the Red Cross is expected to arrive Saturday around 8 a.m. to help coordinate continued cleanup efforts alongside residents and volunteers.
Plenty of physical, emotional and financial labor is left to be done — sorting through debris, clearing what can be cleared and preparing for a funeral no one expected to plan.
To help with funeral expenses, a family friend of one of Schale’s children has set up a GoFundMe, “Support for Schale Family After Tornado Loss” with a goal of $5,500. It can be found online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-Schale-family-after-tornado-loss or https://gofund.me/59c3bbb87.
