Using what she learned from a prior tornado, a Little Rock woman is assisting others

Little Rock, Arkansas – The devastation and widespread destruction caused by a tornado is something Arkansans stated they will never forget.

One Little Rock woman says it’s like past events are happening again.

Cheryl Avant lost her lake house in the Damascus tornado in 2008, but she is now using what she learned from that experience to assist others.

“You know it’s overwhelming and very emotional,” Avants said.

For the family Avants, collapsed roofs, uprooted trees, and the smell of destruction are all too familiar.

“It was a lot of damage. Turns out our house was knocked off its foundation and had to be bulldozed down,” Avants stated.

A similar scene after a deadly tornado ripped through Damascus.

“There were eight houses in our little subdivision that were taken out. my neighbors, nothing was left but the slab. so it was a very strange experience,” Avants said.

Sunday finds her walking through the streets of a different city when a nightmare she never imagined she would face comes to life.

“I think we always have whether you are impacted personally or as a community, I think there is always a little bit of post-trauma that you just for a while drive around and look, and don’t know what to do,” Avants said.

Cheryl claimed that the cleanup procedure was carried out right away years ago, and she watched it happen this time.

Although she acknowledged that the town might never again look the same, the love and support that every Arkansan has shown during these trying times give everyone confidence that we will recover stronger.

“Arkansans come out in force when there is devastation like this and the organizations, the churches, and other organizations whose mission is to support folks come out, but then just every day people come out and help and that’s a wonderful thing,” Avants stated.

Since the first tornado, according to Cheryl, she has donated to a number of groups that support storm recovery efforts across the nation.

She claimed that, like many other Arkansans, she simply keeps providing assistance in whatever way she can.