Georgia and Alabama Cooperate in Aid of Tornado Victims

Like the buzzing of cicadas on a lazy summer day, chainsaws around Birmingham sounded in the distance. Pockets of downed power lines and flattened buildings edged the road for miles. Without warning, the storms of April had hit the sleepy little towns and suburbs of Alabama with the ferocity of an inland hurricane, a category four tornado, half a mile wide to a mile in some places.  

Quickly, those towns picked themselves up and dusted themselves off; both independent Deep South natives and resolute transplants got to work with a bit of help from their Georgia neighbors. Supplies and support from the Atlanta, Columbus, Ga and Auburn, Al areas came to work sites in Gardendale, Fultondale, Tarrant, and Warrior last weekend. Two big rigs brought in supplies: food, roofing tools, tarps, hygiene kits, cleaning kits, and water from the Bishop’s Storehouse of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tucker with more coming in from Salt Lake City, Utah.  Just after the trucks arrived, volunteers came from some of Georgia’s little towns; Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Tucker, Smyrna, Chamblee, Decatur, Doraville, Columbus, and Stone Mountain.  

The Church in Glendale, Al opened its doors to their out-of-town Helping Hands volunteers, fed them meals, offered showers, and organized work sites. Arriving at a work site that looked like a war zone, the buzzing became more like bees on a beehive, as volunteers in yellow shirts as prolific as dandelions dotted the landscape around piles of debris. Many of the Latter-day Saint Helping Hands groups were called in as weekend reinforcements to the major disaster areas in Alabama but hearing about the smaller forgotten towns, some small town groups from Georgia came to their rescue.  The towns they found were little, but large in heart and spirit and just as devastated. 

Don Bennett, on Black Creek Road in Tarrant, said he was uninsured and with several trees down in the yard and on the house, didn’t know what he was going to do. “Two different fellas came by and asked if I needed help getting the trees off the house. That was the Methodists and the Mormons. I told them I was non-denominational but that didn’t matter to them, they all helped!” He explained, “we called the City of Tarrant and they said the landfill was full and they would come when they could. We’ve been waiting on FEMA too, and they’re overwhelmed, but the churches, they came through.” As Don surveyed the scene of the 30 or so yellow-shirts working in his yard, he said, “I’m thankful for you people to come to my home whether we believe the same or not. Doing good is doing good.” 

Travis Hogland, from Pinson Church of Christ, was also at Don Bennett’s home cutting a large tree off the roof with a chainsaw. He walked down the uprooted tree with a ton of grass and ground still attached to it, roots in the air, the tree top lying on the house. Resting and downing a half liter of water, he said he’d been out of work for three weeks as a high-rise window washer so he might as well help other people.   

A group of volunteers from Chamblee came and blew through home after home like their own tornado, cutting, hauling, clearing, and moving on to the next site. Fred Avila, who manned a chainsaw all day Saturday and Sunday and his wife, Aura, helped organize their group and were grateful for the opportunity to be there. They consider it not just a duty but a pleasure to serve. Volunteers made their way down the street, talking to each homeowner. Sergio, a homeowner who had a stroke just two months before, saw all the work being done around the neighborhood but didn't want to bother anyone to help him. When he was asked if he wanted help, he was  moved and happy to receive it. He said later that both of his children go to the LDS church in Gardendale. He was grateful for the help and with tears in his eyes said, "there are so many people helping here, it’s beautiful. I love these people."  

“This has been a very touching experience because we are helping those who wouldn’t have been able to get this done otherwise,” said Steve Aldrich, a leader over a young adult crew from Auburn, Al and Columbus, Ga. “We asked at one person’s home if they needed help and they asked if we would be able to help an 85 year-old lady on Central Avenue who needed a bunch of help with no other way to get it. It was wonderful that someone who needed help thought more about others in need than themselves.” The Castleberrys on Panola Trail were grateful for the cleanup crew from Georgia. Just recently, the owner was widowed and had to go back to work, leaving no way to handle the damage. Daughter-in law Sally said, “we’re so glad you guys came; no one else has come." Kurt Heiss, who led most of the groups coming in from Georgia said “The feeling in abundance here is how blessed we all are to serve one another. We’re getting more out of being here than what we are doing here.  It’s great to see the things we prepared at home in the Bishop’s Storehouse arrive and we’re now able to distribute to our Alabama neighbors. It’s about coming together and serving, and how it comes back to each of us.”

While the Georgia crews worked on Mountain Drive, Jeff Brooks and son Grant with Jack Donovan Builders of Alabama, showed up with water and food for everyone. Brooks said that Jack himself is in a wheelchair but serves others any way he can.   When help arrived at Duncan Moody’s home on Main Street as he was trying to clean up his entire yard of fallen trees with his one chainsaw, he told them, “I’ve lived here 15 years and I’ve seen a storm go through before, but not right here, and not this much."

Moody added, “some people just packed up and left with what was in their car; left, and haven’t come back." Looking over his shoulder, he said, “at my neighbor’s home, I don’t think a tree fell on the roof; the storm just took it right off."

Emily Huckaby from Dunwoody came to work with the cleanup crews and brought canned goods, diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies and children’s clothing to donate for those affected by the tornadoes. The donations were accepted and needed just down the road from work sites by the Gardendale Mt. Vernon United Methodist Church and America’s Thrift Store. The church opened its doors to the donations and had a very well-organized and well-stocked cultural hall. Dropping off the items, you were greeted with a big hug, and when you walked out the door you got another one. In evidence everywhere, almost overshadowing the devastation was the pure  hospitality, strength, and hope of these people. People whose own homes were wiped out still felt blessed and wanted to help their neighbor who had it worse or help the crews who came to help them. The volunteers from Georgia felt like this was a priceless opportunity to serve others, to serve together, and to be served in Alabama.