OU alumna helps build sheds for tornado victims

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Members of Sheds of Hope stand in front of a completed shed for a family that lost its house.

While families and homeowners still sift through the rubble that remains weeks after the May 20 tornado in Moore, Okla., a group of volunteers are helping homeowners find a place to store their belongings.

Sheds of Hope is a project that provides a storage shed onsite for homeowners whose homes were severely damaged from the tornado, said Laura Atherton, recent OU graduate and onsite volunteer coordinator.

A new structure among the damage is not only refreshing but takes care of a pressing need for storage, Atherton said.

Storage is an immediate need, and we want to provide an immediate solution, said Atherton.

After graduating from OU in May, Atherton signed a six-month contract with the project to build up the hope of families who have lost everything by giving them a shed, she said.

Building the sheds has been an emotional project since day one, but the need from victims and the need for volunteers continues growing, Atherton said.

Every time I hear a homeowners story, it still shocks me, Atherton said. You never get used to it; every home you look at, you just imagine how it was before.

Among piles of rubble that once were homes full of family photos and shelves full of books, Atherton said she hopes these sheds will instill some hope for what is to come.

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OU alumna helps build sheds for tornado victims