Tornado Outbreak – Please Bear With Us

Post image for Tornado Outbreak – Please Bear With Us

by Elizabeth Cooper-Golden

in Huntsville Community Stuff

April 27th 2011

As most of you know, the Huntsville area was hit with several disasterous tornados on Wednesday, April 27 2011. What began with a rude wake up call around 6:00 am of tornado sirens blaring, ended tragically for many. Tornados were threatening our very being all day. By afternoon, many of us were tiring of the warnings and probably didn’t take them as seriously as we should have. To go back in time for many would be a God send. There is no going back. Only forward.

Around 4:00 pm, the first major tornado hit Limestone County and began it’s treacherous path through Madison County. When silence fell due to power outages, fear began to set in for many….now the fear of the unknown began. What we sadly didn’t know was that disaster had already struck. The “worst” was over, but we had no way of knowing. As dusk grew to darkness, we had NO idea what had really happened all around us.

My first sense of panic hit when I went for a drive, just to get out. I noticed mass chaos at our local Publix grocery store who graciously opened their doors, running off emergency generators. I entered out of curiosity and left with a pit in my stomach. Shoppers were scrambling for ice, batteries, candles…anything that could help them get through the night. Little did we know it would be MUCH longer….
we are now approaching day 4 with no power. They predict at least 4 more days, as a best case scenario.

April 28th 2011

Thursday, April 28th, was utter mayhem. Athens is blessed to have power and that has been a God send to all of us in Madison and Morgan County. They have welcomed us with open arms while we formed block long lines, filling tanks of gas, one after another, creating traffic jams and hysteria. Area residents, including myself, were driving as far as Tennessee to get gas, ice, batteries, etc. For those of us lucky enough to have generators, a warm shower is a blessing after a long day of nothingness, if we are so lucky.

April 29th 2011

Today, in what has grown into my morning routine, I drove to Athens to get enough gas to run the generator for the day. I happened to notice a couple sitting in the drive of what “used” to be their home. I pulled in, to see what I could do to help them. Tears were streaming down my face, as guilt slowly set in. I have my home and this poor couple lost everything they have ever worked for, in less than 20 seconds. Come to find out, this special couple was celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary today. As I cried, she reminded me how truly lucky they are to still have each other. He was home alone and took refuge in the bathtub. He was thrown from the home with is now a pile of sticks and escaped with a broken collar bone and enough bruises to last him a lifetime. The tub still has not been found….what saved him? He’ll never know.

April 30th 2011

All of the team members at @Homes Realty are without electricity. We will not be showing homes until the power is restored. Instead, we will be giving back to our communities, doing what we can to make a difference. We NEED to give back. For most of us, just seeing the destruction is an emotional battle…seeing the faces of those that have lost not only their homes, but their loved ones and knowing we can’t help, is just too much. So, we will do what we can to make a difference in our communities, one life at a time.

We are getting information and showing requests and promise to answer each and every request, as soon as our internet connections and cell signals are up and running consistently. Each day brings a bit stronger signal. We want to help you, but until we can, we’ll be helping those that need us the most…our neighbors.

If you would like to help with rescue relief, please call 211 (this is a hotline for all of Alabama and they can direct you to an area that you request to volunteer). You may also contact your local Red Cross or the Madison County United Way.

@ Homes Realty Group appreciates your understanding during this time of need and each one of us thanks you, from the bottom of our hearts. Please bear with us as we help build our community back and bring hope once again to our area.

If you need immediate assistance with housing due to the tornados, please call Elizabeth at 256-425-1659. We are helping relocate families that have been displaced by actively searching out temporary housing.

– Elizabeth

{ 1 comment }

Cara Mancuso May 2, 2011 at 11:40 pm

So good to hear from you. Thank you very much for sharing these posts with us. What a reminder to count our blessings and remember to work together in times of need. Your actions are simply inspirational.

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The data relating to Huntsville AL Real Estate on this Web site derive in part from the Valley MLS IDX datashare program. © 2016 Valley MLS, Inc. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified.

@Homes Realty Group
470 Providence Main St
Suite 202
Huntsville, AL 35806

Phone Numbers
Cell: (256) 425-1659
Office: (256) 585-6000
Fax: (256) 217-4073

Email Address
Elizabeth@atHomesRealty.com

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