In the time that we’ve been here, we have noticed a lot of gaps where residence still need help whether it is with supplies, finances, getting workers to haul away their house or someone just to sit down with them and help explain to them all of their options. The government is not involved at all here, the Red Cross is gone and now FEMA is beginning to close up offices. The residence of Tuscaloosa still need so much help and the help that they are getting is becoming exhausted. This video is a reminder that at this period of our societies history, we are all headed in the same direction. WE ARE ALL INVOLVED
A Look at Forest Lake
This week we have been helping out at the Central Church of Christ in Forest Lake. This entire neighborhood has been decimated into rubble. Many houses have been able to get through the storms with minimal damage, but for the majority, they were left with a pile of trash that has formed around the cores of their houses. Some of these people will never return to their homes. Others have had to struggle with the pain and agony of demolishing their own house because they were unable to receive assistance from anyone. He fortunately was able to drudge up the money to pay for that but so many others don’t have those resources. These next few pictures are taking you through some of the houses and their stories in this community.
In this home, a mother and her five month baby lived. It was her parents home. She heard the tornado coming and went into the basement to ride out the storm. When she felt it was safe to come out from hiding, she climbed up the stairs and to her surprise, her entire home was gone. With the exception of a kitchen wall, a baby crib a couple more walls and her parents piano, the house was no longer defined as a livable space. Can you imagine coming up ten minutes later and seeing your entire house gone?
This house is owned by an elderly couple. That red on their window says that the house is no longer safe to live in. Why you ask? Well the roof has disappeared. If you were to walk around the building, you would see that a tree has come down into their second and first story bathrooms. They husband was trying to get him and his wife to the bathroom when the storm hit. Fortunately for them, her bad hips, and weakness due to chemotherapy made it so they were not able to get there.
They both have been stopping by, saying hello in great spirits and having a lunch. They have been trying to get as much as they can out of the house on a one hour trip each day. It is just too hot to get any more than that.
I’m not completely sure of the entire story about this house, but I do know that the people living here were out of town and when they got back, they just turned around. Can you imagine getting to your house after being on vacation and only have a standing fireplace? Thankfully though, they were away from the house.
The family that lives here is staying with family in Birmingham. When the father found out that his insurance wouldn’t cover the destruction of his house and the cost of taking it all away so that a contractor could look at the property, he rented th machinery and tore the rest of the house down himself. He had his wife and family stay in Birmingham while he did this extremely emotional task. What if you had to take a bulldozer to your family home? Would you be able to? My other question is did he hav that extra money available for these added costs?
Directly across the street where we are doing food service from out of a motor home, this house stands there, bare naked to the world. The story of this house is the meaning of life and how we all can be gone at any time. While you look at the picture, take in the couch, and the wall that is laying on the couch. You can see the stairs and then as you look right, you see a door. That is this man’s kitchen. To the right of that, is a coat closet and that is where this man sat through the storm; that two foot by four-foot space.
There are stories and stories like this: The people survived the tornadoes that came through here. There are also stories about Joplin, the floods of Memphis and the Mississippi River, currently the Missouri River and the wild fires in Arizona but what happens after? It is nearly two months after the tornadoes and so many people still need so much. The Red Cross has left, the Salvation Distribution center is shutting down next week and FEMA is beginning to shut down offices but so much is still needed. Is this happening at every disaster area? I have to think that it is and does but while we are here, we will find out how help can still be given and what needs to be done to get that help. This is what we will work on while we are still here in Tuscaloosa.
Cherrywood Worksite
Our first day on an actual clean up site was Cherrywood. It is the most overwhelming thing to get to an area that has been completely demolished and asked to “clean it up”. In almost 100 degree heat, in the sun, we raked, shoveled and wheel barreled our way through two house lots. It is the only way to do it; with basic tools to give the people who live there and their insurance companies the ability to assess the damage.
We met more volunteers from all over on this assignment too. There was James Brown, and his group from his church in Florida, Chris from Mississippi, a couple from Georgia and some from West Virginia. They had been here a week and still were shocked at what they saw. They had great presence though and were extremely upbeat about the difficult job that we were doing.
In these lots, there were boats everywhere. We aren’t completely sure where they came from. Some tell us that there was a boat sales/repair shop close by and some said that they could have come from the lake in town. Either way, it is incredible to see these boats somewhere clearly that they did not start off at.
Toward the end of our work day, the gentlemen who owned the lot where we were cleaning was there with his blueprints ready to build better than the original house. In this area that often had no hope in it, we could still see people beginning their lives again. Like the man who was rebuilding on the lot we were cleaning, there were already other houses on their way up as well as homes where the damage was fixable, it was getting done. People are intrepid and it was definitely visible in this hot June day.
Dinner with Volunteers from The American Red Cross
This is Marlene. She is one of the American Red Cross Volunteers that have been here for the majority of the time since the storms on April twenty seventh. As we were cleaning up lots on Thursday, she was going around from worksite to worksite encouraging volunteers to take breaks and get water in them. When she came by where we were working, she scared Alyssa to death with her megaphone.
On Friday, we ran back into her when we went to help an Americorps team take down and clean up a shelter that is originally built as a community center. In between being drilled with questions by Alyssa about the Red Cross, and her drilling Alyssa on questions about when will she meet her son, Marlene invited us to dinner with her team of volunteers. This would be their last dinner together before they all went back to their respective homes. Of course Alyssa and I went to sit among all this knowledge and insight over the last month and a half.
This group of volunteers was from all over. Marlene is from Michigan, and she definitely brought the Midwest to this group. There was also a woman from Wisconsin and a couple people from Ohio. One of them, Sandy, has been volunteering for eleven years. She told us about her first Disaster Relief (DR) assignment and that was September eleventh. She was sent to ground zero that following January and talked about how still, four months later, the tension and need was so great for everyone there. She felt then, helping so many people in need that she truly had a place volunteering at the American Red Cross.
Next to her was Jason who was from Kentucky. This was his first DR and he is getting the instructions of where he is going next this morning. He can’t wait. From what Alyssa and I gathered sitting there with him, listening to him talk about what had happened in Tuscaloosa, he’s ready for the next assignment.
Next to me was Greg who handed us our lunches that day. He is from Alabama and like Jason, this was his first DR too. He was in the kitchen for the duration of his assignment in Tuscaloosa but is vocal that his next assignment will be driving the assistance van with Marlene.
Keep in mind that the age ranges of these volunteers are all over the place. There were a few that were in their twenties and thirties and then is just went up from there: Anyone can be a volunteer. It was a remarkable moment to spend with these individuals and see the bonds that were made through this incredible disaster and to know how each of them has helped to make things a little brighter in Tuscaloosa. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer with American Red Cross, then check out your local chapter and they can get you started with training classes.
First Assignment
For our first day, we were sent to the Phifer warehouse where the Salvation Army had set up shop. All donations sent to Tuscaloosa from all over the country got sent here where then volunteers will unload, seperate, repack and the make accesable so people who need the goods are able to come in and pick up what they need. It is amazing to see the donations that arte sent from everyone all over the country used and being brought directly to the people who need them.
Arriving Into Tuscaloosa
It has been a great first day of volunteering. We were at the warehouse where the Salvation Army is taking in all of the donated goods from all over the country, sorting through them and then redistributing them. I even had the chance to drive the forklift. I will have video up in the morning from that impactful day.
Later today, we went to our new friend Russell’s project in Hurricane Creek. One of the places of destruction was this area called Hurricane Creek. Is is this beautiful natural habitat outside of Tuscaloosa and has been almost completely wiped out of it’s tree population. I have pictures and will share more about that tomorrow also. As for now, I will leave you with these pictures from when we first arrived into town yesterday. There is still so much work to do. Take a moment to recognize what it is in your life that you’re thankful for.
First Look at Tuscaloosa
Before we even arrived to Tuscaloosa, we could see the damage from the what had happened during the storms in late April of this year. We need to make sure that as a nation, far away from this, that we remember that it does not just go away. We are responsible for each other.
Loading the Car
We are currently leaving the small unique hometown of Superman: Metropolis! Yesterday though was quite the journey to just get here to this small city in southern Illinois. Here is the process of us figuring out how to get all of our donated supplies and our stuff into the Mini Cooper. We decided to go a different route.