Posted on 05/01/2011 9:24:06 AM PDT by Chi-townChief
PRATT CITY, Ala. — Church groups, students and other volunteers worked aggressively Saturday to bring food, water and other necessities to communities ravaged by the second-deadliest day of tornadoes in U.S. history.
Across the South, volunteers have been pitching in as the death toll from Wednesday's storms keeps rising.
At least 340 people were killed across seven states, including at least 249 in Alabama, as the storm system spawned tornadoes through several states. It was the largest death toll since March 18, 1925, when 747 people were killed in storms that raged through Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
In Pratt City, a working-class suburb of Birmingham, police vehicles and military jeeps filled the roads surrounded by leveled and gutted homes on Saturday. Officers barked orders to residents wandering through to clear the roads.
Thomas Brown said volunteers had stepped up to bring supplies — a day earlier, a truck patrolled neighborhoods with volunteers jumping out of the back to hand out water and groceries. Dozens more turned an elementary school into a community hub, where people dedicated one room to storing bread and another to sorting donated clothing. A doctor set up shop inside, and a grill was set up outside. Students formed an assembly line to unload fresh supplies.
Video: Storms turn sports enemies into allies (on this page)
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
Yep, while president ZILCH is out there having fun at the expense of the community and those who lost their lives. Insensitive SOB!!
Is it necessary to “one-up” the disaster response of Alabamans over the Japanese?
Over 400 missing in Al. alone
As it should be. We are only “enemies” on one day in November, rivals yes but humanity comes before any game. War Eagle from a Roll, Tide, Roll.
Our country and the Congress should stop all foreign aid until our people are made whole again. Whole towns were wiped out. Homes, schools, fire departments, police departments, etc, etc. The same goes for all the flooded areas. Our tax dollars that go to dictators around the world needs to stop and use it for our own people. Will the WH do this? I doubt it. They’ll just try and raise your taxes to do it.
After all the oneupmanship re: Japan, absolutely.
The roads going north are filled with church groups and individuals headed to help. We live just off I-65 south of Montgomery. We went to breakfast at the Denney’s at the interstate. Groups had stopped there for breakfast. Those of us not able to physically help are dontating money, blood and supplies. Alabama understands the true meaning of charity and brotherhood despite our checkered past.
I love this. True American’s stepping up to help others....makes me cry tears of joy!
I think it is quite telling how disasters in Mississippi (katrina), Alabama (Tornados), Japan (Tsunami) the people all pulled together and didn’t riot.
What makes New Orleans so different that they had to riot after such a natuarl disaster?
After IKE here in Texas we broke out the chainsaws and cleaned up. We had tons of ice at the ready and one of my best days was riding around in the back of a truck handing it out.
Texans don’t need any help after a disaster. We will clean up after the disaster called Obama is gone. In the meantime we will send tons of things to the areas hit by these tornados. We don’t even care that anyone thanks us. Not doing it for that.
“You people” - Alabama - will survive. Why? Because you still have a work ethic and you don’t complain. God bless. I’ve lived through one of these in Arkansas in 1968 that killed 14 in my hometown...nothing to compare with the scale of mass destruction you’ve seen statewide, but destruction nonetheless.
Get ‘er Done.
How is Japan and Alabama comparable enough to gauge one over the other?
I agree.. Is it because most of Japan is not Christian?
The difference is the mental state of the people...accustomed to being taken care of or and suffering...they have a victum attitude...and a entitlement attitude....
I recall International Rescue groups who commented that in Katrina and in Haiti they were dumbfounded of the lack of the people pitching into help themsleves. In all other countries the people worked right along side of them to help and assit. But in these it was not so and they were dumbfounded by it..then angry of their refusal to help themsleves.
After the all the taunting Americans received about Japan’s reaction to the tsunami, it’s good to see them pulling together without waiting for foreign aid.
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