(Radio Iowa) – There’s a new program in Greenfield to support the emotional recovery of residents who are struggling after last year’s powerful tornado.

Greenfield Chamber of Commerce director Stacie Eshelman said the “mental toll” of surviving this kind of a disaster can sometimes be the hardest to overcome. “I think as Midwesterners or maybe Iowans we just tend to try to pick ourselves up and move on and this is a little bigger than a lot of us have ever had to deal with,” Eshelman said. “…Some people are just so grateful to be alive and you have people who are mad and angry and sad and devastated and there’s no real cookie cutter way to help people through this on the emotional side.”

Photo by Melissa Ehrman Johnson of Greenfield tornado damage. (File photo from May, 2024)

Under Greenfield’s new “Resilience, Insight, Support and Empowerment” or RISE program, Adair County residents impacted by last year’s tornado may be eligible for reimbursement of some out-of-pocket costs for mental health counseling. “People are just now maybe realizing that they need a little more help,” Eshelman said, “so we’re hoping they take advantage of that.”

The tornado that struck Greenfield on May 21 of last year killed four people, damaged or destroyed over 200 homes and leveled about 30 businesses in Greenfield. A fifth person driving north of Corning was killed. The tornado was on the ground for 44 miles.