Lest we forget... our neighbors are still reeling from the destruction. A friend of mine sent this out to several of her friends and relatives. It is a vivid picture of what life is like on the GA/TN border right now.
The devastation here is - I can't describe it. I could send you a link to a set of photos on local news, but even that doesn't really show it. Entire neighborhoods are gone. Schools are gone. Churches are gone. Small forests are gone or splintered. I drive down South Terrace which borders I-24 and the trees look like a giant hand swiped along and mashed them, splintered them, and tilted them all to one side. Houses that do remain in some cases look like they exploded. Ringgold, Georgia where my friend (redacted) lives, is destroyed. It's not just torn up. It's destroyed. Most of it is gone. Most of Ringgold, Georgia is just - gone. Hamilton County, where we live, and several other counties have been declared severe disaster areas; the entire state of Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama have been declared disaster areas. Every day the National Weather Service puts out reports of more confirmed tornadoes from April 27, because there were so many tornadoes, the NWS is still going through the data to confirm what was a tornado, and what level. An EF0 tornado touched down for 3 seconds in the (redacted) area a few blocks from us, and only 3 seconds wiped out several houses and severely damaged others. Cars, trucks, RVs, boats were picked up and thrown. Papers are being found that have traveled up to, so far, a documented 116 miles from origin. There were several EF5 tornadoes, a lot of EF4 tornadoes. It reached a point on that day where the weatherman finally said, on the one radio station we could pick up on my portable radio, that he was only going to focus on reporting imminent tornadoes and warnings to take cover, and ignore reporting any flooding. There was no time for anything else. There were 3 rounds of tornadoes that day, each worse than the previous one.
I have never seen the tops of trees swirl like that. Go around in circles. Not swaying from side to side, but going around in circles.
I hurt my left hand at one point during the day, so I've had it in an Ace wrap and/or ice. I strained ligaments in the thumb and palm of that hand. But so many people were hurt, and so many died. In our immediate area, 48 have died and several more might die from injuries that day. There are still bodies trapped in what remains of hotels and restaurants in several places. For a long time, help could not even reach a lot of those places, and focus was put on rescue first, and getting live wires off of the roads, houses, cars. Some people are still without phones or power. Our former neighbor Mrs. (redacted), who lives in Ringgold, just got power and her phone back on today, Saturday. She's very grateful.
Every time we drive down the road and see groups or convoys of power trucks, some from as far away as Pittsburg, PA, people wave and give thumbs up to them. If we see groups of them eating, or if they pull into Taco Bell - I was there one day when a group of power trucks pulled in and a lot of visibly weary men got out, went to the bathroom and patiently waited in line for food. Nobody said anything. People just - went up to the counter and said, "I'm paying for this guy's food." "I only got $2 but I want to put it on their food." "Here, this is $5, put this on their food." People paid for all of their food. And the men were choked up and grateful, and everyone was grateful for THEM, and again, it shows to me, that there is good from everything, even the terrible things.
At one point early on that Wednesday, a family was wiped out and then, a few hours later when the second round of storms hit, another branch of the same family was wiped out.
The South Pittsburg, TN seniors had worked and saved money all year to go on a senior trip to Tybee Island, Georgia.
They decided instead to donate all of the money to families in need, including a family that had no money to bury their 12 year old son who was killed in one of the tornadoes.
Tybee Island's community learned of this, took up money, and is paying for the trip to and from Tybee and one of the nicest hotels there is giving the students free rooms for the trip. The mayor of that town is going to give the students an award.
So there is good, as always, to come from bad.
But it was terrible to go through. I never want to go through that kind of thing again.
I am glad that my friend (redacted) was found and is safe. She is partially paralyzed and could not get out of her damaged house and had no way to call. So I am grateful that she was found after a few days, and is safe.
Here are some of the things that are needed in that area, information courtesy of the same friend:
It is overwhelming. My thinking is, people living in shelters can't wash clothes easily or routinely. Or themselves. There's a terrible shortness of towels. Wash cloths. Kids had trouble sleeping, keeping food down so, not to be gross but there's a huge need for diapers, onesies, little kids' clothes that it won't be hearbreaking, let's be practical, if a kid urps on his shirt which can't be washed for a few days and health dept says, throw it out - better to get several clean, new, well-made but cheap outfits. And detergent is badly needed. Pedialite. Gatorade. Deodorant. Soap. Stamps and envelopes. Phone calling cards. But none of it's big, see? I want to help, but I cannot do what Red Cross or Salvation Army does. I do wish I could get some more lanterns.Please send donations to the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and others working in the storm-ravaged communities.
beseechingly,
Bright
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