April Tornadoes...

...bring out the good will of men and women.  This week a fury tornadoes blew through the state of Alabama.  Many lives were lost and many more homes were destroyed.  Here is the neighborhood my sister and I lived in while we were at the University of Alabama.

The numerous homes on the lake (more like a large pond) were completely demolished, and nearly all of the small cottages were ripped apart.  Here is our house with trees on top of it.  It's barely standing and will likely have to be torn down. 

The devastation was just unbelievable, and I am thanking God that my sister and her friends (and her puppy!) survived.  I am most proud of all of the clean up efforts she is helping to organize in Tuscaloosa.  I am most sad for the people of the small, small towns that out-of-towners (and people like me) have never heard of.  So many heartbreaking callers on the radio shared how their small towns of only a few hundred people have been ransacked and no one is there to help.  With the outpouring of donations and volunteers in Tuscaloosa and Cullman, it makes me wonder why Fox and ABC are not getting the word out about the others who need our help.  This Missing Persons forum makes me cry every time I browse through the photos and the names of the missing.  My prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and their homes.  Please visit the Red Cross donation page to give what you can for the disaster relief.  There is also a need for blood donations.