CARLYLE — Kenny Arbuckle had a plan for what he would do if a tornado was headed toward his home.
He’d roll his wheelchair into the garage, where he had a chain connected to a pipe which was secured in cement.
“I’ll just chain myself to that and ride it out,” he thought.
His neighbors had other ideas.
A group of Good Samaritans, including area businesses, joined forces to build a tornado shelter on Arbuckle’s property. Arbuckle is disabled because of a muscle wasting disease and spends all of his time in a wheelchair.
The shelter was intended not only to make sure Arbuckle stays safe, but also to thank him for his generous offer to serve as a host site for a community storm shelter.
Last spring, commissioners had trouble finding a place to install a shelter in Carlyle. Arbuckle agreed to allow it on his property. He realized not only would a shelter benefit those in his community, but it would make it easier for him, too.
Instead, that shelter was located next to the Carlyle Presbyterian Church, which is a more centralized location.
Arbuckle’s willingness to host a shelter on his property touched the hearts of his neighbors, Bill King, a former county commissioner who lives in the Carlyle area, said. They wanted to make sure Arbuckle was protected, so they built him a shelter of his own.
“Kenny is a great guy. He deserves this,” King said.
King served as a sort of spokesperson for the group of volunteers who built the shelter. 
Corey Emerson with Hammerson Ready-Mix, which has plants in Gas and Fort Scott, said his company donated about 10 yards of concrete, while another company did the construction work.
Hammerson typically donates to projects that benefit children, including a ballpark in LaHarpe and fairgrounds in Fort Scott. This is the first time they helped an adult.
“We were brought up to help people out,” Emerson said.
Others involved did not want to be publicly recognized.
King is one of several in the community who look after Arbuckle, helping with chores such as mowing the lawn or picking up mail.
“The people in this community really take care of each other,” King said.
