April 27 began like any other day; but by the end of it, the events of that 24-hour stretch were woven permanently into the life tapestry of Alabama’s residents.
Almost everyone in the state, it seemed, had been affected at some level, either by firsthand experience or by knowing someone who had a “close call” or suffered loss.
On April 27, 61 tornadoes traversed Alabama, Rick Lance, executive director of the Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions (SBOM), said July 17 while speaking at First Baptist Church, Pell City.
The tornadoes and early morning straight-line winds that blew through some areas claimed more than 240 lives and left parts of the state ravaged, if not leveled.
In a normal Alabama tornado season, there may be one EF-5 (the most severe) cyclone. That day, though, there were five, said Lance, who was instrumental in leading Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) disaster relief efforts in the state that were activated immediately.
The news quickly traveled around the globe, prompting people with ties to Alabama to rise up and help. Christians in Guatemala and Ukraine prayed, some giving sacrificially from their very limited resources to aid their brothers and sisters in Christ. In Japan, which had suffered its own great tragedy only weeks before, a large corporation that has a plant in Alabama sent blankets and reallocated workers in the state to assist with cleanup and recovery for a few weeks.
The rebuilding period could last two or three years, Lance estimated.
In Alabama Baptist’s District 1 region of the state — which encompasses Cullman, Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties — the damage was “pretty extensive,” said Keith Hibbs, one of the state missionaries assigned to District 1.
But Edwin Hocutt, another state missionary assigned to the area, said many people have seen their yards cleared and trees removed from their homes through the disaster relief efforts. Nonetheless “there’s still a lot to be done,” he said.
Cullman County
Cullman County has two associations: East Cullman Baptist Association and West Cullman Baptist Association. Though they function as separate entities, they have combined efforts to clean up and minister in their county.
The number of jobs their chain saw units completed together approached 200.
Randy Makemson, director of missions (DOM) for East Cullman Association, said the cooperation between the associations has been a tremendous partnership.
All of Cullman County has pulled together to meet needs and rebuild, said Jack Collins, DOM for West Cullman Association. “It has been a community effort and churches working together.”
East Cullman Association
Giving an indication of the magnitude of the area’s damage, Makemson pointed out that 98 businesses in the city of Cullman suffered injury in varying degrees. However, East Side Baptist Church, Cullman, in East Cullman Association was destroyed. “They are worshiping at another church in the city” at this time, he reported.
Some homeowners are repairing or rebuilding, while others are working through insurance matters.
Meanwhile construction firms are booked up, Makemson said.
In early July, the men’s ministry of First Baptist Church, Fairview, in East Cullman Association began constructing a home for a family (see story, page 12). Makemson said volunteer teams are ready to build homes for those who were uninsured or underinsured.
He expressed appreciation for the assistance relief volunteers and the SBOM have already provided, as well as Cooperative Program gifts.
Makemson believes the cooperative spirit of the community — from churches, residents and the private sector — has been unifying. “(The) camaraderie of the community was unbelievable — neighbors coming together like they never have before.”
In addition, he has seen a “great renewal in churches, of stepping outside of the box, getting involved in people’s lives.”
West Cullman Association
Collins noted that an EF-4 tornado struck Cullman County, where two people were killed. It was one of four tornadoes the county felt that day. “It went from one side of the county to the other,” Collins said of the storm’s path. Hanceville and Cullman were damaged extensively, as was “everywhere it sat down,” he said.
Only very recently — around July 4 — did West Cullman Association end the crux of work through its chainsaw relief unit. Just the same, volunteers are still cleaning up in areas.
The association has seen volunteers from Georgia, Tennessee, Michigan, Kentucky, Florida, Mississippi and other parts of Alabama come to help.
In fact, 184 volunteers to date — some from out of state and some from First Baptist Church, Missionary Grove Baptist Church and Mount Nebo Baptist Church, all of Cullman, and Ebenezer Baptist Church and Macedonia Baptist Church, both of Vinemont — have been constructing a home for a family in the Bethsaida community.
Prior to this event, West Cullman Association had a reputation of being on the opposite side of the equation, going to assist others after a natural disaster. But now, to be the recipient of such an outpouring of assistance from so many different places has been heartwarming and humbling, according to Collins.
“It has been overwhelming [with] all the response that has taken place,” he said, adding it is also amazing because the groups seem to volunteer right when they are needed most.
Limestone County
A diagonal path — sometimes a half-mile wide — was cut across Limestone County on April 27. At least four people died.
The tornado damage certainly created enough work for Limestone Baptist Association’s chainsaw team. But then, subsequent storms compounded the problem.
“We got hit with a couple of storms after that [and it] laid trees everywhere,” DOM Robert Fullerton said.
“We have been working as hard as we know how,” Fullerton said of the chainsaw team.
Even so, there are still a significant number of requests to be filled.
Charlotte Jeffreys, disaster relief coordinator for Limestone Association, said the chainsaw team has completed 134 jobs, with much still to do.
She also noted that 9,000 meals have been prepared and served.
Unlike some other areas of the state, outside volunteer assistance in construction has not been forthcoming for Limestone County.
Fullerton said seven churches in the association are ready to house volunteers, if and when they come.
In the meantime, the churches, people and businesses have been meeting needs and ministering to hurting people, Fullerton said.
“I’ve never seen anybody pull together like that in all my life,” Fullerton observed. “I really was impressed by what some of these folks did.”
For example, volunteers with the feeding unit served meals for six weeks. Then it kept a prior commitment to serve construction volunteers in Cherokee, N.C., recently, Fullerton said.
Between the two assignments, the feeding unit traveled to Ragland to help serve volunteers rebuilding homes in the Shoal Creek area of St. Clair County, which also was heavily damaged by the storms, Jeffreys said.
For the continued assistance needed in Limestone County, the association is participating in the Community Disaster Warehouse for Limestone County that is headed by United Way of Athens and Limestone County, Fullerton said.
In addition to accepting household items, the agency is receiving donations for building projects and will coordinate efforts.
Fullerton believes nearly all the churches in his association have been involved in assisting storm survivors in some way, either by volunteering or by donating needed items to the warehouse.
Madison County
About 10 people were killed in Madison County in the April 27 tornadoes, with the Harvest area feeling the heaviest toll.
Many trees left standing were, nonetheless, weakened by the force of the storms. Since then, the summertime storms have naturally affected those compromised trees, creating more work for Madison Baptist Association’s chainsaw unit. DOM Harold Sellers said the work is keeping volunteers busy.
For three or four weeks after the April storms, displaced people were served meals at Harvest Baptist Church, Sellers said.
Soon after the tornadoes, feeding, shower, chainsaw and laundry units arrived from Michigan and South Carolina and were based at Mount Zion Baptist Church, Huntsville. That church was also where those volunteers stayed. Amy Schultz, ministry assistant at Mount Zion Baptist, said church members and others from the association worked alongside the out-of-state volunteers.
At Harvest Baptist, Sellers said, the focus has turned to providing nonperishable foods, clothing and hygiene items to displaced people.
Instead of using funds it had set aside for its July Fourth celebration, Flint River Baptist Church, Hazel Green, has devoted the money to help build a home, Sellers said.
One positive outcome of the storms is that they brought a particular ministry in the county into the spotlight (see story, page 13).
In addition, many churches that had trips planned elsewhere canceled them to stay in Madison to help with relief efforts, Sellers said.
Currently, Madison Association’s focus is on collecting funds for building materials to construct homes in the area of the club.
Sellers said a number of the association’s churches already have adopted families to help them get into permanent housing. Madison Association’s thrust is to assist displaced people who had little or no homeowner’s insurance, he added.
Also, as the beginning of a new school year approaches, churches are collecting school supplies for the children of the Boys and Girls Club.
Morgan County
Morgan County was in a unique situation April 27: It was almost untouched, while all the counties bordering it saw significant damage and loss of life.
One corner of Morgan County did feel the effects of the tornadoes. But local disaster relief volunteers and others were able to take care of the needs there and assist elsewhere, said Donnell Brown, DOM for Morgan Baptist Association.
“We had many, many people ready to work, far more than what we needed here in our county,” Brown added.
“Our chainsaw people were just everywhere,” he continued, noting that Morgan Association volunteers were, for example, in Hackleburg and northeast Alabama.
Immediately the association’s feeding unit was dispatched to Rainsville and its shower unit went to the Muscle Shoals area, Brown said. Then, the feeding unit went to Tuscaloosa, and Morgan Association volunteers also were involved in relief efforts in Phil Campbell and other parts of Franklin County.
“I feel blessed that we were left standing to help others,” Brown said. “But I feel sad for all those hit hard around us.”
In the recovering and rebuilding phase, he said his association will continue to do what it has been doing: It will assist the people of Morgan County, while going wherever needed to minister in other parts of the state.
At the same time, Morgan Association is preparing to meet a ministry need that came to light during this state tragedy. Brown said there is a growing awareness in the association of the great need for grief counseling in such situations, especially among children. Brown said he has been promoting among his churches the availability of training in grief counseling through the SBOM. And there are some in the association who are training now to be ready to minister the next time a crisis arises.
“Structures aren’t the only things that were broken,” Brown said. “Hearts were broken. Lives were lost. … We think this is going to be an area of ministry, to help people get over the emotional destruction.”
It is important, at this time of recovery, not to lose sight of the survivors and their plight, he continued.
“We have to keep this thing fresh until it is fixed,” Brown said. “Don’t forget. Stay involved until it’s done.”
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