Repairmen team up to make uninsured homes livable after Arkansas tornadoes

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - Some gifts just can't be repaid, and in North Little Rock a man learned that firsthand when repairmen made his home livable again free of charge.

Richard Williams' home insurance lapsed before the tornado outbreak on March 31. When an EF-3 tornado sent a tree through his roof on Idaho Drive, Williams feared he didn't know what to do.

"When was it going to be liveable? Am I going to have to be in a shelter? I have all these things running in my mind," Williams said.

Luckily, two businesses are getting plenty of business because of the tornado and decided to give back.

Since a tornado ran through most of central Arkansas, South Peak Roofing has served about four dozen homes with tornado damage. On Tuesday, owner Nick Rynders said his team had another 16-hour day, but something about this job felt different.

"Definitely there's more emotion attached to this roof," Rynders said.

Instead of accepting a paying job through an insurance payment, his men laid shingles out of the kindness of their hearts because Williams has no home insurance. It was a surprise to Williams, and when he met Rynders for the first time, the only thing he could give was a hug.

"I don't have the words," Williams said in the embrace.

"Aw, you don't need them," Rynders replied.

"You give back to someone. They'll give back to someone else, and that's what's going to make the world a better place," Rynders stated.

South Peak Roofing heard of Williams through Chris Cooper, owner of Coop's Plumbing Service, when he was doing work on another home in the neighborhood.

"Richard works at Bobby’s Cafe in Morgan, where (my) family eat all the time. He is a great cook at Bobby’s and I know if he could, he would help do the same thing for people," Cooper said.

Coop's Plumbing Service bought facial boards to start replacing the missing ones from the tornado, boarded windows and is doing work on the interior of the home. Cooper has someone else lined up to repair sheetrock damage.

"Immediately I just decided I'm jumping in. I want every bit of it, help out as much as I can," Rynders stated.

South Peak Roofing teamed up to cover the cost of repairs to make Williams's home livable, but they both hope to do more if the community joins in.

"Those two guys I think are angels on Earth," Williams said. "I plan on paying this forward for the rest of my life."

One way Williams plans to pay it forward is by donating. Any money sent to $SouthPeakRoofing on CashApp or donated on a GoFundMe will go toward others, turning a hopeless situation into perhaps the most hopeful on the block.

"I hope this isn't the first and last because there's plenty of people who need it, and I just one to keep giving, and my people are all for it," Rynders said.

Before Rynders left the home, Williams had to give him one more hug to say he would never forget him, and the kindness sent his way.

"The world is full of great people, and I think we are experiencing some right here," Williams said.

from KARK https://ift.tt/2q64BFQ