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Duke soccer player, family on road to recovery in Moore, Okla.
Teammates chipped in to raise money to help Duke soccer player Ana Hunt and her family recover after tornadoes flattened their Moore, Okla., home.
Posted — UpdatedDURHAM, N.C. — More than a month after an EF-5 tornado ripped through her Oklahoma hometown and killed 24, Duke University soccer player Ana Hunt said people in Moore are well on their way to recovery.
Thousands of homes were destroyed, and many people – like Hunt's family – lost everything, but the rising junior said many have started to move on with their lives.
"Across the community, you can see people finally cleaning off. [There are] a lot of foundations exposed," she said. "Things are moving along."
The recovery process extends to the Durham campus that has become Hunt's second home, as her teammates are doing what they can to support Hunt and her family.
The university's athletic department created the Ana Hunt Fund shortly after the storm as a way for the community to offer support.
"As soon as it happened, we all got together emailing and trying to figure out what to do," Duke soccer player Mollie Pathman said. "We decided to send money."
Early estimates indicated that the tornado caused more than $2 billion of damage. Whole subdivisions in the fast-growing community of 56,000 people were destroyed. Authorities estimated that as many as 12,000 homes were damaged or destroyed and 33,000 people were affected.
Fellow teammate Natasha Anasi said the response from the soccer team was almost instant.
"You feel for her," she said. "For us, we are willing to help one of our family members."
Robbie Church, Duke's head coach, said Hunt is loved by her teammates.
"I feel so lucky to be a part of a university and a team," he said. "When we or their family members go down, we are there."
Hunt will return to Durham in August and said she is looking forward to getting back together with those who have helped in her time of need.
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