Today is a sad day. Today, several twisters ripped through parts of North Carolina leaving piles of materials that were once communities. Today's events were only the latest part of a 3 day storm that began late Thursday in Oklahoma and trekked eastward through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and then here, to our backyards. As of right now, this storm has claimed at least 22 lives in the south with at least 5 confirmed fatalities in Cumberland, Johnston and Bladen counties; along with thousands of damaged or destroyed homes and businesses.
Looking at photos of the aftermath, I am sure I speak for most of the people in my hometown when I say, "It could have been worst". Hope Mills was one of the lucky areas without major damage. Wind, rain and power outages were all that was reported for a large part of the area. Most of the damage is on the North side of Fayetteville, around North Reilly Road and Ramsey Street. Several neighborhoods in that area were severely damaged and in some cases, completely destroyed. I have seen pictures of the baseball field at Pine Forest High School and it's not pretty. Sadly, most of that area looks a lot like that baseball field.
By now, most of us have seen the video footage or pictures of the Lowes store in Sanford, NC. While the building is in shambles, the 100 plus employees and customers that were in the store at the time were safe thanks to the manager who saw the storm coming and literally pushed everyone to the back of the building before the front of it was flattened. In Raleigh, the tornado snapped power lines causing utility poles to crash into the streets. I have seen photos of cars piled on top of each other. Trees have been ripped from the ground and now lay among the shambles that were once homes. Stony Brook North, a mobile home park in Raleigh, was described as being buried in piles of trees and remnants of dwellings.
But like I said, thankfully, most of the people in my hometown were part of the lucky ones. As I sit here, looking at all the news coverage and reading article after article about the damage done over the past 3 days, I am almost ashamed of myself for being annoyed that the one lawn chair I had in my backyard that I never even used, ran away with the wind. I can walk out my front door and all I see are large tree branches scattered around my neighborhood and a few misplaced lawn ornaments. You wouldn't even know that just a few miles away, my neighbors are settling down in a shelter tonight because their homes are gone.
So how can we as a community step up and help those that weren't as lucky as us? It’s not always easy to know what’s the right way to help in a time like this. I find it best to turn to the professionals, The American Red Cross. Along with setting up several shelters, The Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross will be training volunteers to help Fayetteville's tornado victims on Sunday morning. The training will begin at 10 a.m. at their Carol Street offices. According to the Red Cross website, they are not accepting food or clothing donations right now. Local business and restaurants have already made donations to help feed the shelters as well as emergency workers. What they need the most is financial assistance. Anyone interested should call 910-867-8151 or send an email to chapter@highlandsarc.org. You can also visit the American Red Cross website to see how you can help all the victims of this devastating storm across the southern states. It won't be much, but I'll be sending what I can and even though they are not accepting clothing or food donations now, I'm still packing up some cloths, extra toiletries and non-perishable food to keep in my car just in case I come across someone who may need it. Most importantly, spread the word. If your local church or organization is planning something to help our community shout it from the roof tops. The more people we get involved the quicker we can restore what was lost.
This storm has touched us all in some way. It's almost inspiring to see so many of us, in our vast diversity, all roll up our sleeves, rise to the occasion and pitch in what we can, when we can. The wall of separation that sometimes divides us seems to crumble as we all come to together to help those that need it the most. To everyone that has been affected by this storm, know that you are not alone. Know that we grieve with you. Know that our thoughts and hearts go out to you and your loved ones. And in true southern fashion, know that we, as a community, will repair the damage this storm has caused.
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