‘Can hardly believe it’: How a Facebook post helped an 89-year-old woman impacted by a 2024 tornado
By Olivia Hickey
Click here for updates on this story
CHOCTAW, Oklahoma (KOCO) — Volunteers in Choctaw are helping 89-year-old Ruth “Connie” Holland clean up her property, which was devastated by a tornado last November.
Holland had lived in her home for decades before the 2024 tornado destroyed it. Recently, Corey Driver, a local resident, discovered her address on a city council meeting agenda,
“One of the items on the agenda was to discuss the disposition of a dilapidated structure at this address,” Driver said. “I knew that if the city council was talking about it at this point, that probably the next step was that they were going to make her clean the place up, and if she didn’t, they were going to put a lien on her property. I felt bad because I knew that she had lost that property in the tornado and she didn’t have insurance.”
After Driver put out a call for help on Facebook, dozens of volunteers offered their time and equipment to assist with the demolition and cleanup, alleviating the costs for Holland and her family.
On Saturday, demolition crews took down what remained of the house, and on Sunday, volunteers of all ages gathered to clear debris, filling several donated dumpsters.
“I can hardly believe it. They’re just wonderful people,” Holland said.
Although she had hoped to rebuild, Holland now said she believes it is more likely that the property will be sold, with the hope that another family can move in and create memories as she did.
This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.