Alabama Baptist disaster relief volunteers were among the first to assess damage from the Nov. 30 F-1 tornado that ripped through Demopolis.
The storm caused widespread damage to homes and buildings, ripping up trees and tearing down power lines as it passed. Once it ended, the fire trucks headed out. And right behind them were disaster relief volunteers from Bethel Baptist Association.
Bethel Association Director of Missions Bobby Hopper said he and others helped with damage assessment that night, just about an hour after returning from disaster relief training in New Orleans. The full team reassembled the next morning for cleanup work.
Milton Cherry, the association’s disaster relief coordinator who had called Hopper and the others into action, said about 20 volunteers from churches across the association gathered to help with chain saw and cleanup needs.
They began by helping the city clear trees and debris from roads, while city trucks followed behind to pick up the residue, he said. They then planned to clear driveways and work in yards as needed, finishing over the weekend.
At press time, no other teams had been called into the area, although Hopper said it was likely a team from Selma Baptist Association would come to help with assessment.
There were no deaths or injuries as a result of the storm. (TAB)
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