SOUTH BEND — Imagine seeing everything you own blown away in a matter of seconds. That's what happened to some local homeowners when a tornado swept through Nappanee last October. Now the St. Joseph County Habitat for Humanity is pitching in, helping those whose insurance didn't cover all the rebuilding costs.

About 50 Habitat volunteers are working with the Habitat affiliate in Elkhart County and the Northern Indiana Tornado Relief Organization (NITRO) to rebuild 3 homes on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

St. Joseph County Habitat for Humanity Executive Director David Hatch told WSBT some of the tornado victims have been forgotten. He compared the tornado damage in Nappanee to the damage left behind by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf.

“You have a disaster, people rush in to help, then all of a sudden you get involved with your own lives and your own things that are going on and you forget that these houses not only need to be cleaned up, they need to be rebuilt,” said Hatch.

The homes being rebuilt in the Nappanee area are not Habitat for Humanity homes, and Habitat is not incurring any of the costs to rebuild them.

If you are interested in volunteering on Wednesday April 9 or Thursday April 10, call Shannon – the Volunteer Coordinator (574) 288.6967 ext. 17.