This is an iHeart Podcast. Hey, what's up? It's Mario Lopez. Back to schools, an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming, and kids may feel isolated. A vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit.
Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected.
Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. I'm Scott Hanson, host of NFL Red Zone. Lowe's knows Sundays hit different when you earn them. We've got you covered with outdoor power equipment from Cobalt and everything you need to weatherproof your deck with Trex decking.
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From me, Emily Maitless. And me, John Sopol. With Global's award-winning podcast, the news agents dropping daily, covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs. And the News Agents USA. Listening to the news agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart.
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This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. The May 22, 2011 Joplin tornado remains one of the costliest tornadoes in American history. Despite this, The disaster brought out the best in many people. wanting to help in any way they could. One of those people was Thad Buehler.
who found a unique way to lend a hand to his fellow neighbor. by founding the National Disaster Photo Rescue Organization. A group which seeks to reunite people with their lost photographs after disasters like Joplin. Take it away, Thad.
Well, I am Thad Beeler. I live in Carthage, Missouri. And am from Joplin, Missouri, grew up there. I have multiple generations of family. that have grown up in Joplin.
I spent a great deal of time in the church. I grew up in the church. Love the church. I have spent time as a pastor. and ministered to people there of all generations.
It's been um A wonderful part of my life and It's what brought us here today to talk about the photo work we've done. It was a Sunday night. It was six o'clock. and we had Bible study at the church in Carthage. And my parents Uh live in Joplin.
I knew the weather was getting bad. And I was on the phone with my dad. And he was describing how The clouds and the atmosphere looked, and I looked outside and began to see some of it in Carthage, which was a Kind of a green. Look. to the clouds and to the sky and come to find out that was ground being churned up.
While I was talking to my dad, I lost. connection with him. on his cell phone. And um I tried several times to get a hold of him and I was Concern, but not. terribly concerned because Tornado sirens are something that we're very used to here.
We don't necessarily. React. in a frantic manner, but we are always elevated during that time. When I turned on the weather channel, I see Mike Bettis standing in front. What was left Of the St.
John's Hospital. in Joplin. And we began to see insulation things dropping out of the sky all over Carthage. For most people, they would be concerned because of what they were seeing. Maybe most would know is that my parents.
We're directly west. of the hospital. About a mile. which means that the tornado had passed over their house before it got to the hospital.
So, as I talked to my wife, I said, You know, I'm going to come home here shortly, and I said, We're going to have to go to Joplin. Because I really didn't know. Finally, I got down there, and it was dark by then. And um It was like driving into a Tunnel. without lights.
I got to the end of the lights, of the street lights, And The Lights of my truck just didn't seem to penetrate the darkness. I could see trees everywhere. Cars turned upside down. Power lines down everywhere. There was a smell of gas, and there were fires and.
Every single Landmark. From Road Sign The mailbox was gone. People are crawling out of their homes. There were people up and down the roads. wandering around as if um They just didn't know where they were.
People were lost. They were in their neighborhood. But they were lost. But I got to them and they were fine. What was um God's great miracle in their life was They didn't have a basement in their home.
They're on a single-story house. And the neighborhood is loaded with trees.
Well, it just so happened that the big, huge oak trees that surrounded their home all fell on the roof. house. And if you've ever seen how a tornado works, it finds its weakest point of these structures and that's how it blows the roof off.
Well, it kept the roof from blowing off. except for a couple of areas of home.
So, when I see them, of course, they're ecstatic to see me. I'm glad that they're okay. I'm thankful that everything's fine. And I'm going by the grace of God you're still here because the neighbor's house, all that was left was the center stairwell.
So I spent time trying to assess their needs. They weren't hurt. They were unharmed. We settled them down, got them a place to be. And then I come back the next day.
And wow. When you come back the next day, you thought you didn't know it in the dark. You really don't know it in the day. There's a toaster in the kitchen. with half a tube before driven through it.
But what was amazing and that hit me not knowing what I know today. was I walked down the hallway of my parents' house, And the same things that were on the wall And it always been on the wall when we grew up. We're still there. And that was the pictures. Our photographs, our family photos.
Our family photos were there and sitting there untouched. had not been moves, weren't turned cockeyed, Not even touched. And down the hallway I went into a bedroom which was at the far end and I looked out the window. And it hit me. Right then.
My folks have their pictures. And the neighbor doesn't even have a house.
So the question comes is Where did it all go? And you're listening to the voice of Thad Buehler. Joplin. torn to shreds on may twenty second. by a monstrous tornado.
167 people lost their lives. more property damage than anyone would care to witness when we come back. More of Thad Bueler's story. Joplin's story. Here on Our American Story.
Lee Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help Our American Stories celebrate this country's 250th birthday, only a short time away. If you want to help inspire countless others to love America like we do, and want to help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here to millions for years to come, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Our American Stories. Go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Any amount helps, go to allamericanstories.com and give.
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Back to school! It's an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect. Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in.
Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking. Learn the signs and how to report at dhs.gov/slash blue campaign. This is Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang from Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang.
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And me, John Sopol. With Global's award-winning podcast, the news agents dropping daily, covering everything you need to know about politics and current affairs. And the News Agents USA. Listening to the news agents on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search the news agents to start listening.
And we return to our American stories and the story of the National Disaster Photo Rescue Organization as told by its founder, Thad Bueller. Let's continue with the story. It is hard to know what is important in life. until you no longer have it. Our memories are caught in snapshots all over our home.
and we realize that without those snapshots, we are losing part of our memory. And I am sitting there walking through that from 100 feet with the neighbors of my parents. going, oh my gosh. All of those memories. All of those snapshots.
They no longer have them. And we still do. You you feel blessed, but all at the same time You weep for them. Because even though you have the joy of knowing you still have it and you still have your family, there are people who lost their lives. And then to think on top of that, maybe they were safe and maybe they were okay.
But now that they can build their house, but they no longer have That great wedding fixture That's sitting over the mantle, or their children's pictures of when they were born, you know, and mama cradling them, or memories at church, baptisms, none of that. We grieve that. Because there's nothing that takes the place of that picture. The people may be standing beside you. But the moment in time, that those folks were together in that moment.
is gone.
Well, as communities come together, and some communities come together better or quicker than others. in the Joplin disaster. People came from everywhere and they came quickly and they wanted to help. Local communities wanted to help and just do something. to make a difference.
The people at the church wanted to do something they were most of them older weren't able to get out and pick up pieces of wood and debris. Yeah. They could do something to try to help their neighbors. And that's when we had a gentleman come by the church. and said, I found a photograph in my yard.
And he said, what am I supposed to do with it? And that's when Truly. when the idea of the National Disaster Photorescue was born. We started asking questions, and we saw on Facebook. Good intending people from everywhere trying to connect these pictures that they were finding in their neighborhoods, in their backyards, in their farm fields, out in the street.
They were picking them up as they were trying to help people. They were posting them on Facebook, hoping that someone would see them so they could get them back. I sent a email, a blanket email off to the American Red Cross. Uh I had no idea what I was doing. I basically said a prayer before I said it and I said, God, if this is supposed to go somewhere or this means something, then bear fruit from it.
And so three days later, I got a call. from a gentleman, his name was Michael. And Michael said, I heard that you were interested in trying to return photographs. And he says, I've been looking for people that want to do the same thing. And he says, I will help you.
if you want to do this.
So with his help. with learning to do press releases and the right equipment and how we were supposed to scan. I don't know how he knew all these things. And I will tell you if you're a faith believer at all. Michael walked with me.
From about June of 2011. Through Christmas Day. 2000. 13. That was the last correspondence I heard from him.
And Several times after that, I wanted to go back and tell him thank you. and that I appreciated all the work and everything he had done. But he had disappeared. I went back to the American Red Cross and I said, I'm trying to find Michael. And they looked and searched.
through everything and Long story short. Michael doesn't exist. with the American Red Cross. I've done everything I can to find him.
So all of this has been put together. with the help of so many people. and faith-believing people, people in the community just want to help. Our first picture. photograph that we gave back.
was the 1st of September.
So 2011. And it was such a big Homecoming. For these folks to get the picture back because they lost their mother.
Well, our local TV station, bless their hearts, were so helpful. And they would put three or five images that we selected every day. on an afternoon and evening broadcast. One photograph in particular was actually a s it was a picture of pictures. And if you Have one of those long mirrors that goes on the back of your bedroom door.
Someone had taken this green frame, removed the mirror, and placed photographs. There had to be a hundred pictures on that. Right. The next day I receive a phone call. from a lady who says, I think you may have My pictures.
She says, I saw it on the evening broadcast and I have to come and pick him up. Will you be there where I could pick him up tomorrow? And I said, yes. I didn't know specifically what she was referring to because she was so anxious to just come and pick it up. The next day she walks in and introduces herself.
And she says, The photograph I'm looking for actually is many photographs and it's in a green frame. I didn't Ma'am, we have your pictures. And she broke down. She could not hold it. And what I didn't understand more than just about the photographs and the fact that we had it.
was it was the only picture of her grandfather. that was remaining was a little picture in the center of that frame. with him in a hat. and a vest. Her life was on.
and in that frame. And She says I got my life back. I don't know how else to describe. a situation where you give somebody something back and they say, I got my life back. Because she didn't.
And it was a blessing to me to know that I can make such a difference. over one frame. in somebody's life. It changes you. When you hear stories like this, it changes you as a person.
First of all, you're so grateful and thankful to be there for them. You're thankful for your own life. and you realize just how important These little Seemingly unimportant pieces of paper. put people's lives together. By the way, we are still giving away pictures to this day.
Ten years later, we're still giving them back. In total, in Joplin, we've reunited. Right at 18,400 photographs. with over a thousand families. But for us it's never been asking for something in return, only being willing to give to others.
so many times as a pastor. We tell our congregations that We need to be neighborly to those around us.
Sometimes we find it easier to give money to someone who's going to a foreign land to spread the word of God. Than it is to be across the street from someone. Who's our neighbor to ask them If you need God. This is a ministry That completely takes away that veil. We're not there trying to get money because we don't ask for anything.
We're not asking for their time. We're not asking for anything except for them. to have something that is so special. Back. What Jesus did on the cross.
was to give his life and ask for nothing. and return. When we give something and ask for nothing in return, I don't know a more Christ-like thing. It is exactly what we're supposed to be. in the shadow of the cross.
Yeah. And a great job by Monty on the production, and a special thanks to Thad Buehler. And to find out more about the National Disaster Photo Rescue, Go to National Disasterphotorescue. org. Thad Bueller's Story.
Here on our American story. Hey, what's up? It's Marla Lopez. Back to schools, an exciting time, but it can also be overwhelming, and kids may feel isolated, a vulnerability that human traffickers can exploit. Human trafficking doesn't always look like what you expect.
Everyday moments can become opportunities for someone with bad intentions, whether you're a parent, teacher, coach, or neighbor. Check in. Ask questions. Stay connected. Blue Campaign is a national awareness initiative that provides resources to help recognize suspected instances of human trafficking.
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