Heavy/HGTV/YouTube Dave and Jenny Marrs
HGTV’s “Fixer to Fabulous” star Jenny Marrs shared the news that she and her husband Dave Marrs experienced “devastating” tornadoes that wreaked havoc on the homes and businesses in their local Bentonville, Arkansas area in the days leading up to Memorial Day.
Now, Jenny and Dave are both showing new looks at the tornado damage as well as the community response, in a series of new social media posts.
Dave Marrs Shares a Look at Tornado Damage
Dave gave fans a look at some of the damage both at the Marrs family farm and in their community in a May 27 Instagram post.
“This Memorial Day weekend turned out differently than I anticipated. Probably than our entire Northwest Arkansas community anticipated. The tornadoes and wind that rocked our communities took away homes, businesses, trees, power, and even life,” Dave wrote in his post’s caption. “But, through all that loss, our community got stronger. The outpouring of friends, neighbors, and even strangers has been nothing short of amazing.”
Fans were happy to hear from the HGTV star, despite the damage apparent in his photos, which showed trees and power lines fallen all over the place, taking up space in fields and on top of homes and cars.
“I immediately thought of you and your family yesterday when I heard Rogers and Bentonville on the news. Thank you for posting your status,” one fan wrote.
Dave went on to share some additional perspective that the tornadoes gave him, writing, “It caused me to reflect on the sacrifices that were made by men and women to merit a Memorial Day. Yes, they went and fought for our country, but they died for the people in it. Those they loved, those they didn’t, and those they would never meet. Good, bad, or otherwise, I still believe we live in the greatest country on earth, and I will proudly fly my flag to honor those who gave their lives for it.”
The Marrs Family Pitched in To Help a Neighbor in Need
In her own May 27 Instagram post, Jenny shared that the Marrs family spent their Memorial Day volunteering to help clean up after the storms. “On this day set aside to honor and remember the ones who sacrificed their own lives for our freedom, we spent the day working alongside friends to help clean up Luke’s teacher’s home. So many in our community have lost so much and it was an honor to serve one family in need of a few extra hands and chainsaws,” Jenny wrote.
Jenny’s video featured a chorus of chainsaws offscreen, as community members helped cut up and drag away fallen trees from Luke’s teacher’s house.
After Jenny first shared that Luke, almost 5 years old, threw up twice during the storms from fear, fans were happy to see him in better spirits. “The sound of chainsaws after a storm is well known to us midwesterners. Neighbor helping neighbor is how it should be. Luke gave me tears, and I hope his little heart has let go of the fear. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️,” one fan commented.
Jenny closed her caption with a look back on the family’s day working outside, writing, “Sunburnt shoulders and sore muscles after a long day of hard work feels like the best way to honor the ones who gave everything for us to live here. Our community caring so well for one another is the true beauty of small town America. 🇺🇸”
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