The afternoon of Aug. 24, 2016, will long live in the memories of Kokomo and Howard County residents as multiple tornadoes — including an EF3 — ripped across the region.

In the wake of the disaster, students, faculty and staff at IU Kokomo — which closed Aug. 25-26 due to power outages — fanned throughout the area to do whatever they could do help their neighbors. Whether it was moving limbs and tress, relocating businesses and residents displaced by the storm or providing health care, members of the IUK community were seemingly everywhere, doing what they could to begin recovery efforts.

Many of those efforts are chronicled in this story by Danielle Rush, a communications specialist with IU Kokomo. Persons wishing to aid students in need can make donations to the IU Kokomo’s Student Crisis Fund, with additional information included at the end of the article. (All photos courtesy of IU Kokomo).