ABSC Disaster Relief, Walnut Ridge Aid WBC Cleanup

Williams Baptist College has received a big assist from two key entities in cleaning up storm debris. The City of Walnut Ridge and a Disaster Relief unit from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention helped make roadways and lawns safe around the Williams campus by clearing away fallen trees and limbs.

March came in like a lion with a severe thunderstorm early Wednesday, March 1. Fortunately, no injuries or structural damage were reported at Williams, but fallen trees across campus presented a daunting task for WBC’s maintenance crew.

“The assistance we have received from the city and from the Disaster Relief unit have saved us many man hours, and they have made much quicker work of our storm cleanup than we would normally have expected. They have been a huge help,” said Dr. Tom Jones, WBC’s president.

Jones noted that Lawrence County Judge John Thomison contacted the college early Wednesday to offer assistance from county government, as well.

The Disaster Relief unit was manned by members of Corners Chapel Baptist Church in Payneway, Ark. The five-man crew operated chainsaws and stacked limbs for easy removal around the Williams campus.

Walnut Ridge Mayor Charles Snapp dispatched a street department crew to Mills Street, on the south side of the WBC campus, to deal with two large oak trees that had fallen along the street and in a drainage ditch.

Williams maintenance crews were also busy with cleanup Wednesday, but Jones said the assistance will save WBC days of work.

“In both cases, this was very welcome assistance that we didn’t have to ask for. They just showed up to help,” said Jones. “This is one of the many reasons that WBC is proud to be a part of the City of Walnut Ridge, as well as the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. With both entities, we felt like we were being taken care of by family.”

Williams is a liberal arts college in Walnut Ridge.

Photo attached of Dewey Grishom (left) and Pastor Glen Hurst from Corners Chapel Baptist Church in Payneway clearing fallen limbs on the WBC campus. They were part of a Disaster Relief crew from the Arkansas Baptist State Convention.