Sweet Home Alabama - Alabama the Beautiful. I see these slogans written all over the license plates of the cars and trucks in Alabama. Yes I am back in Alabama. My good friend has had her surgery and feeling much better.
The people who were devastated by the 60 something tornadoes that blew through the state are recovering. Not quite two months out, the trees that were damaged have turned brown and are piled in fields, along the roads, in parking lots, etc. Many stand torn and stripped.
Homes and businesses are cleaning up and starting to mend and rebuild. It is still a shock to turn a corner and see unbelievable damage on one side of a street, or through a neighborhood and normalcy on another. In many places you can see just wide swaths where homes and businesses use to be. It is chilling, heart stopping. Recovery here will take a long time. Not just the physical recovery of rebuilding, but the psychological recovery.
Saturday, I was in a small town on Main Street taking pictures, antiquing, and thrift store shopping. The skies turned dark and the wind began to kick up. Within two or three minutes shop owners were out watching the skies. I heard one man calling home asking someone to check the weather station. You could feel the fear. I had to stop and say a little prayer for all of those so scarred from the tornadoes.
So, today, this week, I am grateful that my family is safe, with a roof/roofs over their heads. How lucky am I! [please double click on the photographs to see the extent of the damage]
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7 comments:
Thank you for reminding us with these pictures...what a heartache.
Every morning I say a little prayer for those affected by the tornadoes and all of the people who are helping the victims. The damage is unbelievable. Safe travels, Elizabeth. It's good news to hear that your friend is doing well after her surgery. Hugs, Terri xoxo
the devestation and heartache show in these photos..but the flags waving show the hope and promise of rebuilding and better days!!!
:)
Sometimes I wonder when things will settle down. It seems like there is very little good news. My sister was just a few miles from Joplin...scared me to death.
Stay safe, Hugs Mary
Having lived in MN I know the fear. I lost 7 collage friends to a tornado and will never forget the devastation and sadness that followed. I am so glad you and your family are ok.
This is truly devastating to say the least....glad that you all are safe.
Living in Xenia, Ohio I can feel what these people are feeling. I was in 7th grade during the big 74 tornado and lived in deathly fear of storms until our last one in 2000. The damage in your photos is so familiar. It will take years for the scars to heal but it does make a community stronger. My heart goes out to all the people affected in these horrible storms.
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