Tornado Devastation in My Little Corner of Northwest Alabama.
The EF5 Tornado that ripped through Northwest Alabama was horrifying to say the least. Phil Campbell is a little town just 10 minutes south of my hometown of Russellville in Franklin County. And Hackleburg lies just to the west of Phil Campbell. Many of my family, friends and clients are from these small rural areas.
The day of "the storm" was a day filled with warnings and watches. My day began at 3:50am with my family huddled in our basement as the first warning came across the TV...and the warnings just kept coming and coming and coming...all day long. As the last line of storms finally passed, those around me(my little family) breathed a sigh of relief that we escaped with only a few trees down in our yard. No significant damage to speak of anywhere around us. But then...through facebook and text messages we began to hear the news that those to our south had not fared so well. We began to hear of the horrific devastation that had taken place and the countless lives, homes and businesses that had been lost.
I can't bring myself to take any pictures of the devastation but here is a link to a news article from todays Times Daily . I think the picture from the article says it all.
And this is a youtube video shot from the Phil Campbell Police Department as the storm came through.
My life will be forever changed because of this one horrific day. I lost several friends and acquaintances in the storm. But I choose not to dwell on the devastation, but rather the coming together of a community, a city, a county, a state and even a country. The outpouring of help from surrounding areas has been unbelievable. People coming from EVERYWHERE to lend a helping hand. People from across the country filling trucks with supplies to send our way.
My Little Corner of Northwest Alabama will never be the same. But what has happened here has caused me to be reminded of why I am proud to be a "Southern Girl from Alabama", a Christian, and an American...where we all take care of and love one another...just because.
Comments(4)