Team Little Rock family rebuilds through the ruins of tornado damage

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Regina Agoha
  • 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. --  Since the dawn of time, resilience has been continually tested by conflicts, tragedies and natural disasters. Repeatedly, people rise when knocked down by the unexpected blows life can throw.

In the surrounding communities of Mayflower and Vilonia, Ark., that resilience is proving to be strong and steadfast as families pick up the pieces of their lives through the rubble caused by the EF-4 tornado April 27 that killed 16 people and injured dozens.

Staff Sgt. Mark Lewandowski, a 19th Maintenance Squadron aircraft fuels systems craftsman, and his family, which includes: his wife, two-year-old son and five-year-old daughter, are among the many who are rebuilding and moving forward after such upheaval.

The Lewandowskis were in a shelter when their home in Vilonia was completely destroyed by the tornado.

"There wasn't much damage where we were at the shelter, so we didn't think much of it," said Lewandowski. "As we left the shelter, there was maybe one cardboard box that was blown into the parking lot, and that was it."

Lewandowski said the closer his family got to their home, the more devastation they saw. His neighborhood was a disaster area, and only half of their home was standing.

Thankfully, the two dogs they had to leave behind due to limited room in the shelter were safe and unharmed when they returned home.

Lewandowski said leadership from his shop was at his home before he got there, making sure he and his family were OK. They helped him gather the dogs and anything else he could quickly grab and headed toward a coworker's home to rest.

The next day Lewandowski said he spoke with his former squadron commander, and she made sure he and his family were able to be put in a temporary lodging facility.

Lewandowski's first sergeant and flight supported his family for weeks by going out to Vilonia and helping him gather anything salvageable from the pile of debris where his home once stood.

"This squadron is the best squadron that I've been a part of," said Lewandowski. "It is amazing to see how much they helped my family. They gave us so much. We can't even count the number of diapers we received for our son. I think we have a lifetime of diapers now."

Operation Homefront, the Airman and Family Readiness Center and the Little Rock Air Force Base community have all contributed to aiding Lewandowski and other Airmen affected by the tornado, whether by providing financial assistance or by donating food, clothes and water.

Also displaying true Little Rock AFB service before self, Master Sgt. Joseph Kimbrough, 19th Security Forces Squadron logistics flight superintendent, accompanied Bald Knob EMS personnel to Vilonia and were some of the first responders on the scene. They carried medical supplies and water. They also worked through the night assisting residents in any way they could.

"It's comforting to know that when people get knocked down from whatever, personal tragedies or natural disasters, that the military and community step up and make things happen," said Master Sgt. Rodney Kizzia, the former First Sergeant Council President.

"I want to thank: the Little Rock Community Council, the Arkansas Food Bank, the Arkansas Federal Credit Union, the American Red Cross, Operation Homefront and the A&FRC for coming together with the base to assist our Airmen, their families and the Little Rock AFB community during this time of rebuilding," said Kizzia.

The Lewandowskis are scheduled to move into a new home in three to six months. They are building it in the same spot their old home stood. As a part of the construction, they are having a built-in tornado shelter placed underground.