Safe Place After the Storm
Minneapolis School a Safe Place After the Storm Lucy Laney School staffers laundered clothes and brought in a ton of donated food to help North Side after the tornado.
(June 2, 2011 -- Minneapolis, MN) David Branch has something in common with many of his students: He's technically homeless.
The principal at Lucy Laney School in north Minneapolis returned for
his first full day of work Wednesday after last month's tornado tore
through his neighborhood, impaling his roof with a tree and driving the
family into a hotel.
In the storm's wake, Branch is in the same predicament as 25 percent
of the school's 600-plus students who regularly bounce between other
people's homes and shelters during normal times. That portion of
students jumped to at least 40 percent after the tornado, school staff
estimate.
And since the tornado, that staff has stepped up for its victims,
securing 2,000 pounds in food donations, laundering clothes and logging
many unpaid hours cataloging what students and their families needed in
the twister's wake.
Less than 2 miles away at the disaster relief center at Farview Park,
social workers and support staff teamed with Target Corp. and the
district's teachers union to distribute books, school supplies and other
aid.
"They provided hope and inspiration for our students," Branch said. "We want to return to normal."
But challenges remain at Lucy Laney, both big and small.
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