This Is the Least of It...

One week ago today a series of tornadoes came through our community. The following pictures were taken from my car on our way home one evening. Keep in mind that these are the areas that folks are allowed to drive through. The hardest hit parts are still off limits. So, this is the least damaged of the devastated parts of my home town.

This used to be a church.

This used to be a lush green area.

 

These fellows supply the power to much of North Alabama. You can see that the one on the left is mangled. If you look close, you can see where the power lines are actually on the ground. Many people just got power back today. An entire week after the storm. That's how bad the damage was to our area.

A seafood restaurant on the highway. I have a client who ate here at least once a week for lunch.

Mini storage building. Only one is left standing, and it is severely damaged.

The storm was so strong that billboards were bent completely to the ground.

Yeah, there was no phone service for a while either.

I suspect that this truck did not belong in this ditch.

I know that these photographs are not terribly good, but they do show the kind of things that have happened.

If you are able, please consider donating to the Red Cross or another organization that is helping with recovery. So many families lost homes, pets, cars, and lives.

So many people are not working right now because they are not able. Jay hasn't been to work in a week because there is no power in his building. We are fortunate though that he has plenty of vacation time available, so he can still get paid. Many families are not that lucky. Their place of employment is gone, or they don't have any paid time left to take. Can you imagine working a minimum wage job at a daycare with very little paid time off? There are daycare facilities that have been completely destroyed. The employees no longer have a much needed job, and the parents no longer have much needed childcare.

Please consider helping Alabama in any way you can. It is much needed and greatly appreciated.