Home Dedication Ceremony held for veteran who lost home in 2019 Jefferson City tornado
Jefferson City, Mo (KMIZ)
The River City Habitat for Humanity dedicated a home on Wednesday to a local veteran who lost his home in the 2019 Jefferson City tornado.
The tornado rolled through Jefferson City with 160 mph winds and left a path of destruction. Homes and businesses were destroyed and more than 20 people were injured. Millions of dollars in insurance claims were filed.
For the past year, teams have been working to build a home in the 500 block of East Ashley Street, according to a press release.
On Wednesday night, Habitat for Humanity handed over the keys to Dwight, a man who served as a mechanic for the army in the late 1970s.
"I was an automotive and diesel mechanic. I used to take the engines out of the tanks and everything. Gamma goats, APCs, it was tremendous," Dwight told ABC 17 News.
Dwight had been living on the same property on Ashely Street his entire life. He has fond memories of climbing the big tree that overlooked his backyard.
“I used to build go-karts out of the wood and everything and take off the tricycle wheels and make go-karts and everything. Up and down these hills in the wintertime sledding and everything. It’s just been wonderful. It’s a nice neighborhood”
His family's home was rebuilt in 1969 and stood on Ashley Street for 50 years until it was damaged in the 2019 tornado. He said he had just finished putting in a new deck when the storm moved in that night.
"It lasted 20 seconds, I couldn't believe it. So, I tried to run back up the stairs. I heard something crash and I looked up and it was raining on my face and the moon you could just barely see it," Dwight said. "I thought I was on a different planet because five minutes ago a roof was there."
After the tornado, Dwight rented a place down the street for a few years because he wanted to stay in the neighborhood he had grown up in. He decided to apply for a Habitat for Humanity program that rebuilds homes for local families in need.
This year over 150 people were interested in the program. However, only four to five homes can be built.
"Dwight was a special case because of the tornado," Susan Cook-Williams, the executive director for River City Habitat for Humanity, said. "His home was destroyed in the tornado in 2019 and he just didn't have the ability to rebuild it."
A Habitat for Humanity spokesperson told ABC 17 News earlier this year that the organization has built at least eight houses. It was also their first veteran build.
