Memorial Day Tornado, Oregon District Shooting survivor returns from Louisiana hurricane relief trip

DAYTON — After surviving both the Memorial Day Tornadoes and the Oregon District Mass Shooting, Dion Green’s advice to those down South suffering from the aftermath of Hurricanes Beta and Zeta: stay strong, keep moving forward, and be resilient.

Green just returned from a hurricane relief trip in Lake Charles with Huber Heights pastor Rick Nance.

The two gathered hundreds of donations from the community including diapers, baby wipes, and bottled water to take down to a church in Lake Charles and distribute after Hurricane Beta.

They arrived in Lake Charles on Oct. 25 – only to see devastation similar to that of the Memorial Day tornadoes that struck the Miami Valley in 2019.

“Just a vision of seeing myself going through those days and seeing people going one day at a time, seeing everything covered up with tarps, everybody cutting trees down,” Green told News Center 7′s Jenna Lawson. “It was amazing just talking to them and speaking with the church and sharing our stories and why this meant a lot to me and how I experienced what they’re going through last year.”

>>Dayton Children’s Hospital celebrates Halloween

The two stayed in Lake Charles for four days, leaving right before Hurricane Zeta made landfall in Louisiana.

Green remembers making the 20-plus-hour drive through pouring rain all the way until he made it home in Dayton and then watching the devastation from the latest storm on the news.

“The devastation is still the same and another one just came,” he said.

It seems like near perfect timing for Green and Pastor Nance’s trip – as many received needed supplies right before Hurricane Zeta hit.

After dealing with back-to-back blows himself – nearly losing his home in the E-4 tornado and losing his father, Derrick Fudge, in the Oregon District shooting – he wants the people living down South to know that they are supported in their recovery efforts.

“I’m speaking from Ohio to Louisiana. We support y’all and we love y’all. And we’re going to continue being a support to them until we can’t anymore.”

Cox Media Group