UPDATE: Fontbonne Volunteers Assist With Bridgeton Clean-Up Efforts

Two things particularly impressed staff who helped in tornado-damaged Bridgeton on Friday: The extent of the devastation and the commitment of the volunteers.

"The day was spent filling many, many, many Dumpsters with all kinds of debris," said Mary Abkemeier, a professor of mathematics and computer science at the school.

She was among several Fontbonne representatives who worked with other Service International volunteers on a cul-de-sac that neighbors St. Charles Rock Road.  Fontbonne , an annual effort in which university staff, faculty and students volunteer their time at service organizations in the St. Louis area. Others joining in the effort included both adults and teenagers.

No one stood around to watch what was happening, she said. Everyone participated. One person had a chain saw. Another had a sledgehammer. Others picked up debris—huge pieces of wood containing multiple nails, siding, branches—and brought it to the street.

During the day, the American Red Cross brought lunches for the volunteers. She said Service International organized the volunteer effort well.

"It was a good choice of activities," Abkemeier said.

Dr. Nancy English, an associate professor of mathematics and computer science, said the volunteering experience was both solemn and impressive.

"It was wonderful to watch them, no one really had to direct them," English said of the volunteers. She described seeing both the damage and the community  spirit of the workers as overwhelming.

English also saw houses in which nothing but the stairwell remained standing. She said it served as a reminder to her that getting under those structures during a tornado is important.

David Nolda saw Friday as an opportunity to help out instead of sitting back and doing nothing. This disaster "hit so close to home," said Nolda, the university's director of annual giving.

He and the other Fontbonne volunteers began their day at Grace Church, where they filled out waivers and received orange shirts. They traveled to the foot of a hill in a subdivision on Beaverton Drive. Nolda said he was struck by the tornado's devastation—for example, a house that experienced only minimal roof damage stood next to a house that had little more than a staircase left standing.

"It was just incredible to see it," Nolda said.

The commitment of the volunteers also stood out. One man in his early 20s had been coming to help for five days in a row.

Among the tasks that Nolda performed: Helping a group of about 30 people move a 20- to 25-foot steel beam to be discarded.