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 ...
Coming from an ignorant jackass like yourself, that’s a compliment - but by all means, go waste your time elsewhere; you are obviously and liberally owned.
Reported.
You’re right - Japan’s got nothing on Alabama. I don’t recall any Japanese dressing up as relief workers in order to loot their fellow countrymen.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/05/alabama_tornadoes_four_arreste.html
PLEASANT GROVE, Alabama, — Four Florida men posing as relief workers have been arrested and charged with looting in Pleasant Grove, authorities said.
Shortly before noon today, a person in Pleasant Grove alerted Jefferson County Sheriff deputies after seeing the men taking property from houses and loading it into a truck. The witness gave the deputies a description of the suspects and their vehicle.
Jefferson County deputies, along with Baldwin County deputies, went to the area where the suspects were reported to be in the 800 block of 5th Street in Pleasant Grove.
Taken into custody were: Anthony Dale Haislip , 31, Sarasota, Fla.; Christopher Don Elmore, 36, Bradenton, Fla.; Jon Robert Berube, 24, Sarasota, Fla.; and Christopher Bryant Ramsey, 21, Sarasota, Fla.
When they were arrested, the men had property from storm victims’ homes as well as materials being used by Alabama Power to repair damaged lines, authorities said. A guitar was also recovered that has not been linked to an owner, said Jefferson County Chief Deputy Randy Christian.
Each man has been charged with one count of third-degree burglary, two counts of theft of property and possession of burglary tools. Bond for each suspect in connection with the burglaries is set at $200,000. Haislip, who was in possession of Oxycontin, was charged with possession of a controlled substance with an additional bond amount of $50,000
Not all of New Orleans reacted that way, but of course the media didn’t give the entire story...nothing new there.
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