Dozens of Williams employees are helping residents of Tylertown and Seminary, Mississippi, clean up after powerful tornadoes decimated the area last week.

The damage near Williams compressor Stations 70 and 77 is extensive, with homes leveled and bark ripped from trees, said Chad Griffith, senior manager of operations. He said the stations were unharmed.

“You ride down the roads and as far as you can see pine trees are snapped off. Some houses are still standing but others are piles of rubble.”

Griffith and colleagues quickly mobilized after two tornadoes hit the area on Saturday, handing out water and food. They coordinated with Williams’ Supply Chain employees to bring in tarps, more water and hand sanitizer.

Other employees helped residents remove debris, repair fences, round up livestock and gather belongings, joined by colleagues from Stations 65 and 80. Several employees had damage to their properties as well, while others had relatives who suffered destruction.

Seminary resident Karen Sanford said she was grateful for the help after the storms destroyed her home and her sister’s house.

“Williams Company sent an army to complete a job in one day that would’ve taken us a week or more to do,” she said. “They helped us get everything out of our homes that was salvageable and get it into storage units. We are so thankful they showed up.”

The coordinated response of Williams employees is not uncommon, Griffith said.

“I’m proud of everyone. We’ve all been through storms and hurricanes, and we reach out to help each other,” he said. “Thanks everyone for your support. The community is very grateful for everything we have done.”

A Williams donation to nonprofit Mercy Chefs has provided thousands of meals this week to eight communities in the storm-damaged area.

“We will have provided 25,000 meals by the end of the week to victims, first responders, police officers and linemen,” said Lisa Saylor, director of U.S. disaster relief for Mercy Chefs. “These areas have no power or water so they are very grateful.”

The storm system that swept across the country last week also brought high winds and wildfire to Oklahoma.

Many homes burned in the community of Mannford, west of Tulsa. Williams has donated several dozen laptops to the school system there to help students and teachers who lost their belongings. 

The donation was facilitated by Jeff Widener, an IT business systems analyst at Williams, who serves as trustee on the City of Mannford Town Board and chairman of Mannford’s Planning Commission.

He said 24 students and several school district employees lost everything in the fires.

“The school is committed to ensure these laptops reach those who need them most, helping them get back on their feet and resume their work and school lives,” Widener said. “This is a challenging time for everyone involved, and we hope these laptops will help lighten the load and bring a sense of normalcy back to their lives.”