Pleasant Grove and Pratt City, Al. tornado

As many of you know I just relocated away from Alabama in Jan. of this year. For 18 yrs I lived in the surburb of Pleasant Grove, Al outside of Birmingham, Al It is the one that was hit by the tornado earlier this week. My sister still lives there and was thankfully unhurt. Her street was one of 2 in the community that was spared from total destruction. There is no power and will not be for weeks to months since the substation was blown away also. Most of the cell phone towers are gone also so there is only spiradic cell connection.

I talked to my sister today and learned that many of my former neigbors and friends are stll missing. There are a growing number of body bags at city hall waiting on someone to identify and claim them. The situation there is dire. Police, fire and volunteers are combing through the debris fields for bodies and hopefully a survivor or two. The debris fields range from 2-3 feet thick to 20 feet thick and cover miles. Many of the roads are simply gone, the asphalt blown up and away just like the houses.

She reports that the houses were blown away at the foundation level and that absolutely nothing remains. Unlike previous tornados, this time there are not partial houses left standing or houses with only roofs blown off. Everything and, I mean everything, is gone. She was able to recognize where my old house had stood because part of one of my garden trellises was still standing. Otherwise, the entire 3 acre property was 2 feet to 20 feet deep in debris and there were a few of the pink bricks still left strewn about. My neighbors houses were no longer there at all. Nor were any of the trees. What happened to any of the neighbors is still a mystery. There are no structures left to paint body counts on. She said that without trees, houses or streets (landmarks) it is difficult to find where you are and easy to become disoriented and lost. No one can get into the community or get around much because of the debris levels and lack of roads. And, for the same reasons the people who are there cannot get out. They are trapped without power or many resources.

According to her, the Red Cross came in and started selling coffee and donuts to survivors. The Salvation Army is trucking in FREE food a couple of times a day for those who can walk to get it. This is a community that was lower middle class, blue collar working class before the recession. It has been hit hard by the recession and many of the survivors did not have insurance any longer. They were just holding on before. The neighboring community, Pratt City, was one of the poorest in the Birmingham metro area before. Now the people who had so little before have nothing.

I cannot sit in the comfort and safety of my Colorado home and do nothing when so many of my friends and neighbors are in such distress. I have made my reservations and will arrive in Birmingham next Tuesday, May 3rd. I am shipping boxes of basic supplies--toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bandaids, neosporin, paper towels, etc.) to the Greyhound Bus Station in Birmingham, I still have a truck and chain saw there--and I know how to use both of them. I plan to pick up supplies from the Greyhound station on Wednesday, May 4th and begin distributing them through a couple of the churches that afternoon and on May 5th and 6th as well. I can get in with the relief workers.

IF any of you find it in your heart to help with this effort, please DO NOT SEND MONEY. I do not have the resources to utilize it for these communities right now. I am working on setting someting up through one of the banks for those who want to make donations. But, we just aren't that far along yet. HOWEVER, if you would like to send boxes of basic supplies I will pick them up and get them to those in the greatest need. Ship them to

Melissa Roth

Greyhound Bus Station

618 19th Street North

Birmingham, Al. 35203

205/252-7190

My cell number is 720-445-0271. Please understand that I will have limited cell phone coverage while I am there due to no cell towers left standing. I have checked and Greyhound seems to be the cheapest, most reliable way to ship things. Thank you and please continue to send loving energy to this area.

Favorite

4 members favorited this

< Previous Post

Comment

You need to be a member of HypnoThoughts.com to add comments!

Join HypnoThoughts.com

Comment by Richard Rumble on June 30, 2011 at 10:19am: Thank you for the Update Melissa.... always glad to be of help. I really think that the media short changed the Area and the disaster by getting so side tracked by Weiner and Arnold and Bin Laden... and before we knew it.. Mo. was the newest disaster on the news and then the flooding. I will probably get another box together here soon, but the Independence day holiday and a whole lot of other stuff that has cropped up in my world may keep me from getting to it lickity split... Challenges are great ways to have our unconscious show us how great it is at overcoming obstacles.

Comment by Kevin Cole-NLPTrainingQuest.com on June 30, 2011 at 8:08am: Thanks for the update, Melissa. Glad to hear stability and progress is being gained and the community felt supported...

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on June 30, 2011 at 8:01am: Thanks to Tamara Fontenot for reminding me to post a follow up here for everyone.

Rebuilding in Pleasant Grove has not started in any big way yet. Just a few houses so far. Believe it or not, they are still clearing debris. Clean up crews are still working in triple digit temps and 80% humidity seven days a week from sun up to dark. There is a constant convoy of debris laden trucks (big trucks) going to and coming from the landfills, sort of like a line of marching ants.

Many people say they will not rebuild, that they will sell their lots and move closer to grandchildren or work or the beach. They cannot face living where so many of their friends and family perished and with the constant reminders in their faces of who/what is no longer there.

Only a few people are coming through to be fed so it seems most people have gotten some stability back in their lives. My best friend, Retta, is still homeless but she has moved up in the world from a tent to a loaned camper. She has no prospects of where to go with 4 dogs, 3 horses plus herself. All non-roach infested places have been taken long ago by people who were not in so much shock that they were frozen in place. Unfortunately, there are a lot of Rettas out there.

Thank goodness, many of the churches (27 churches in a town of 10,000 people tells you this is a VERY Christian community) are coordinating counseling services for those who seek it and they seem to be doing it without regard for church affiliation. I've been proud of them, for the most part, since being non-sectarian is not their usual mode of operation.

Almost everyone I talk to is still extremely grateful for and impressed by the support that the hypnosis community demonstrated. They couldn't believe so many people would ship boxes of supplies to their community without knowing anyone there. I have not heard of any other group of people that were not affiliated with one of the churches or a government organization that did what the hypnosis/nlp community did, not even groups in the city. It truly is impressive. I cannot express how deeply grateful I am that my on-line community came through for my other community. Every time I think about it I get tears in my eyes. I can't thank the many people who sent supplies enough. You truly saved lives. Saying Thank You doesn't seem to be enough.

The only supplies I know of that are still needed are insect repellant and sunscreen. You can still send those to my sister at:

Ione Lowrey

720 Second Place

Pleasant Grove, Al. 35127

THANK YOU.

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on May 17, 2011 at 10:49am: Tamara, the need presented itself a LOT while I was there and I did a lot of therapy while there. But, I couldn't stay forever and they have no communications systems right now. Even if any other hypnos wanted to go there to help there is not the infrastructure set up at this point for them to do anything. I was allowed to use a church office because my sister is a member of that church. And, I know the community so knew places that would be quieter and where we would be less likely to be interrupted. Even then it was tough and I kept having to reassure myself that some hypnos do street hypnosis and I could too! Actually, 95% of what I did was NLP instead of hypnosis. The chaos just didn't allow for a trance session. And, you are correct that right now more people who are not running chain saws or cooking are in the way and would actually make things worse. Don't worry. There will be plenty of people who will need someone to listen when communications are restored. And, trust me, i will put them in touch with you and anyone else I can get to volunteer. Thank you for volunteering and being willing to hold that space for them.

Comment by Tamera Fontenot, LMHC on May 17, 2011 at 10:20am: Well I think Richard hinted at the suggestion of whether hypnosis practitioners could help. I know we could help in the immediate aftermath of events like this but that takes a lot of coordination and preparation to be there and not add to the chaos. Folks have a lot to primary needs to attend to right now-and the recognition of their losses has only begun. My offer stands-if only for someone to have the space to talk ...I expect that it may take a little time before that need presents itself.

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on May 17, 2011 at 12:21am: Yeah, it's a strange feeling to be there with power and water and absolutely nothing else. Not being able to communicate with the outside world or to have news of the outside world was a bit disturbing. It's the way it was when I was a young child and only a few people had TV and there was certainly no CNN! The world suddenly became so much smaller because it is limited to your own little microcosm. Thanks for the packets. They are much appreciated and much needed.

Comment by Richard Rumble on May 16, 2011 at 8:52pm: hummmmm good point about the lines in and out..... I just assumed that since the HOUSE was ok... all the services that went with it were fine too... silly me LOL. Another package of around 400 packets will arrive Thurs... so that will help a bit...

Let us know what else can be done.

Comment by Melissa J. Roth on May 16, 2011 at 6:02pm: Richard,

Unfortunately, there are no working telephone lines--cell or otherwise--in Pleasant Grove. There are no poles left to hang lines on and no cell towers left. I have been trying for 3 days to get in touch with my sister. I finally got in touch with her son today who assured me he saw her on Sunday and she was okay. Likewise, there is no such thing as Internet or cable. My sister's neighbor can not even get satellite TV/Internet reception. Not sure why. There is power and clean water and that's about it. So, for the forseeable future, she will not be able to join this discussion. No one knows how long it will be before they get to the point where they can put up new poles and towers. My nephew, who visited my sister on Sunday, says they are making great strides in cleaning up her area of town but not much progress in other areas. She has begun to get the packages people are sending and is taking them to the relief centers as they come in. She said everyone grabbed the sunscreen packets almost as soon as the box was opened.

Tamera, thank you for the explanation of how FEMA and the other organizations work. Whenever I am able to get calls or messages through I will pass this information along. I'm sure it will help their feelings and will save many of them a lot of money. Just knowing that the first offer may not be the last offer will help many. But, as for doing pro bono counseling, it will have to wait since there is no communication systems in place. I haven't found anyone who has cell or landline service. It is a wonderful expression of generosity and gratefully appreciated..... for the future. Hopefully, when phone and Internet service is restored more of us can make this same offer. If only 10% of the members here took 2 pro bono clients from the area it would make a HUGE difference in helping to heal hearts and souls. In the meantime, we can continue to send positive energy, healing energy and says prayers to whatever God you pray to for those communities highest and best good.

I may be posting something incorrectly here. I do not in any way want this to be construed as advertising. However, I will go to my grave thinking something that happened the night before the tornado is what kept my sister safe when only 3 doors up the street was utter destruction. (I'll post pictures when I find my camera cord--one day, maybe not today). I was moderating the last teleconference for the Working Shamanism class and during the call, Wilfred did a meditation. As part of it he said to get in touch with 1 thing or person that you love and bring them into your heart. Immediately, 3 people popped into my mind. One of them was my sister. I kept trying to get rid of her and another person thinking I could only have "1." She wouldn't go away so I finally caved and brought her as well as the other 2 into my heart. Then we did some energy manipulations,etc. and that was less than 24 hours before the tornado hit. Of course, I can't prove that the energy we sent those people/things during that meditation is what protected her but I will always believe it. And I will always be grateful.

Comment by Richard Rumble on May 16, 2011 at 7:53am: Melissa,

I was going to post what Kelly said... but she beat me to it. Do you think it would be possible to have your sister join this discussion so she could keep us posted with updates on the needs of her local community?

Comment by Tamera Fontenot, LMHC on May 16, 2011 at 6:31am: Just some practical support to offer today, based on my experience in the disaster response world-FEMA will come with their trailers; the area was declared a disaster and there is a process of support services that will unroll but I can't say it strongly enough-it is important that people, even people with insurance, register with FEMA (they may be eligible for assistance with things like covering hotel costs or home owners deductibles, grants or low interest loans, or even a trailer, while they rebuild). There is usually a time frame that FEMA will accept these registrations. In areas like you are describing, people often have a strong sense of self-efficacy-they are fiercely independent (that's why you have folks that never come forward and you guys were having to go find them) and don't want to "ask for help". FEMA asks a lot of personal questions and some people don't want to share that information with the federal government. I always tried to help them understand A) they have already PAID for the assistance (via their taxes all these years) and B) the feds already know everything they are going to ask (if you have been paying taxes-for folks who did not, it can get a little more complicated). And like I said a few weeks before-post Katrina-FEMA implemented some changes to their financial assistance programs and may try to make an "offer" to settle with people quickly-it is important people do not make rash decisions about this-especially while there is still so much emotion in their thinking because when they agree to this settlement-their case is closed for good. As the healing and recovery continue, recovery "committees" (usually comprised of governmental and non profit organizations) will begin to form and they will review cases individually to help with needs not met by Insurance and FEMA but they will want the FEMA benefits to be exhausted before they will consider helping someone re-build.

As this continues to move forward, please let us know if you have anyone who needs more hands on assistance negotiating the financial aspects of their recovery- I can get in touch with some of my friends still working in disaster recovery (mostly the non-profits like UMCOR and Red Cross) and find out who is offering what.

Assistance for the financial aspect of recovery will unfold in a very predicable way but assistance for the recovery of hearts and souls after such trauma is less predictable. Most states and some of the emergency responding non-profits provide a corps of staff at the emergency shelters. Since 911, folks certified in EMDR and other rapid trauma recovery skills are usually deployed but this is usually only offered briefly and long term help will depend on funding (There will be volunteers but not enough; and the ARC may offer some funding for people to seek assistance of their choosing). I know that to all of us-it probably seems that healing the hearts and souls of those impacted should be THE priority but I have come to accept that maybe that is not really the "government's job". Financial recovery is a critical aspect of what has to happen and maybe it is good enough that government tries to help there.

I for one, would be willing to work with anyone who might need to talk (on a pro bono basis)-even if it is just over the phone. I could not do that for a whole lot of people-but I could for one or two if it would make a contribution to their well being and to the overall recovery. That may be a crazy thing to offer, I am throwing that out without a whole lot of thought to what the liabilities or challenges might be...