NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — "We believe what the Bible says: 'do unto others as we would have them do unto us.'"
Pastor Bruce Maxwell of Lake Providence Missionary Baptist Church takes those words to heart and knows how important it is to have a safe place in a storm. He recently told me about the 1964 tornado that hit Nashville just minutes into Christmas Day that destroyed his childhood home.
Watch in the player above Heather and Pastor Bruce talk about the importance of a place to go to weather the storm.
"It was like someone had taken a saw and taken the roof of — it was terrible," he told me. "I jumped out of bed and I watched as the wall of the house just rolled over. It's a very devastating thing for someone to go through and I would not wish that on anyone."
That's why he wants his church to be a designated Safe Place for people who live in vulnerable housing like a mobile or manufactured home. For those residents, getting into a sturdy structure before severe weather strikes is critical.
I walked through Lake Providence Missionary Baptist with Pastor Maxwell to see where the best place to shelter inside his church was located. The underground space at Lake Providence could fit 600 to 800 people. Along with having a sturdy structure with ample space, churches that sign up to be a Safe Place partner with NewsChannel 5 should consider the need for volunteers to help run the shelter during a storm.
Pastor Maxwell hopes other churches hear this call to help their neighbors and choose to open their doors, too.
Leaders of churches, community centers and other non-profit groups that have adequate space are encouraged to email me at safeplaces@newschannel5.com. I'll be in touch with the next steps you need to take to become a Safe Places partner.
