Jackson VA employees deployed into storm-ravaged Lincoln County to help Veterans after tornadoes

The roof was torn open. A tree had crashed through the home. Inside, a Marine Veteran and his wife sat in the dark—no power, no clear plan and little left untouched by the storm. That is what Dave Snider walked into, and it’s exactly the moment VA emergency outreach is built for.

Snider, emergency manager for the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center in Jackson, had spent the day moving between supply distribution sites after tornadoes ripped through southwest Mississippi in early May. The storms carved a path of destruction through Bogue Chitto and Brookhaven, damaging hundreds of homes and leaving entire neighborhoods in pieces. But one conversation at a local church changed the course of his day.

“They told me there was a Veteran who had come by just looking for water,” Snider said. “He wasn’t asking for anything else.”

The church gave Snider the address. What he saw there stayed with him.

A storm that left no neighborhood untouched

The tornado outbreak leveled homes, blocked roads with downed trees and forced families across Lincoln County to sift through debris for anything they could save. For Veterans already managing medical conditions, limited mobility or financial hardship, the destruction created an additional layer of crisis.

The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center deployed its Emergency Outreach Team into affected communities to make sure Veterans didn’t lose access to care, medications or support during recovery. Staff from the Veterans Benefits Administration also joined the effort to help Veterans navigate benefits-related questions and access additional recovery resources.

“This is bigger than paperwork or appointments,” Snider shared. “These are people’s lives.”

Neighbors helping neighbors

Snider said the Marine Veteran reminded him of his own grandparents. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he needed to go back.

So he did.

“We got neighbors to come down there to take the tree off his house,” Snider said. “I went inside, took pictures of the damage and sent them to the county emergency management director.”

Within hours, local partners stepped in. Samaritan’s Purse, a disaster relief nonprofit, and the Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue organization, coordinated assistance. Tarps were placed over the damaged roof the next morning, ahead of additional rain moving into the area. Neighbors brought over a generator so the couple could keep food cold and power essential items in the home.

The Veteran hadn’t missed his medications, but Snider said keeping Veterans connected to care remained a top priority throughout the response.

“He and his wife knew the process and stayed on top of his medications,” Snider said. “But when you’re standing in a damaged house after a tornado, sometimes people just need somebody to show up.”

Care beyond hospital walls

VA outreach staff worked directly in affected communities near the Red Cross shelter in Brookhaven, assisting Veterans with enrollment, health guidance and social services—no appointment required. Veterans were also encouraged to use the VA Health Chat app, which allows users to connect quickly with VA staff by secure message from home, to manage ongoing care needs during recovery.

For Snider, the mission was never just about emergency management. It was about making sure Veterans knew someone was willing to stand beside them when everything around them had changed.

“We showed up because that’s what Veterans deserve,” Snider said. “When they need help, we go.”