Today was devastating as the sun rose. First light brought the first glimpses of the destruction left behind by violent, deadly winds. Alabamians, as well as the rest of the world, began to see the devastation that is much of the Heart of Dixie.
I spent the first few hours of the morning glued to my computer, viewing heartbreaking images of places once familiar. The more I saw, the more ridiculous I felt. I was sitting in my completely in-tact home, with power, with food, with water…with my completely unharmed children. I needed to do something. Anything.
The small town where my husband grew up, where we met and married, where my in-laws live, sustained major damage and destruction. I saw a Facebook friend’s request for food, gas and water for that town. A friend and I decided to go. Other friends donated many, many items within an hour’s time, and we were on our way. We delivered the items to the collection site, then we rode over to view the damage.
Sad can’t even describe what we saw. We stood atop a hill, and looked down at the place that was once a town, now more similar to a war zone. We saw parked cars with piles of belongings next to them, which we assumed were the only items the owners salvaged from their destroyed homes. We watched volunteers clear debris. We saw groups of people gathered around grills and smokers. We stood in utter amazement that people were alive.
We talked with a gentleman who told of us his story of survival:
This one small town, Cordova, Alabama, is just one of many that are in the preliminary stages of recovery. If you are a local reader, I encourage you to seek out ways to help. If you read from afar, prayers are much appreciated.
 |
| The Piggly Wiggly grocery store |
 |
| The town’s Methodist church |
 |
| The local doctor’s office |
 |
| Dance costume |
