Help Continues to Pour In

By Harold Bearden
Tuesday, May 10, 2011 | 8:06 AM
https://hbtv.us/news/?story_id=745

There are hundreds of stories of heartbreak and survival coming to light in the past two weeks. 

Haleyville was hit when one tornado touched down on Thorn Hill Road southwest of the city and continued a northeast path of destruction damaging or destroying some businesses and homes. The tornado destroyed several homes in the Commings sub division, then continued across 14th Avenue, Macedonia Road and out to Chicken Foot Road. There was a total of 14 homes destroyed and 47 damaged by this one tornado. There were injuries, but no deaths. 

The worst of the tornadoes in this area was the one which swept through Hackleburg and Phil Campbell, causing several deaths.

Donations of food, supplies, clothing and money from across the United States have been constantly streaming into north Alabama for victims of the April 27 tornados. Haleyville, Hamilton and Russellville have become the collection points for the Hackleburg, Phil Campbell and rural areas caught in the path of the killer tornados in Winston, Marion and Franklin counties. These three cities have the necessary storage facilities to house and distribute the donated items. 

Haleyville has three sites to handle the inflow of donated items. Food items meant for immediate consumption, including bananas and watermelons are being collected and redirected from the fire department behind city hall. Canned and non perishable food, clothing and virtually everything else is being sorted, stored for a short while and shipped to the areas of need from a warehouse at Burnett Truck Line on Highway 13 south. Baby care items, such as diapers, are being temporarily stored, sorted and redirected from the Haleyville Rescue Squad building behind the Glasshouse care wash just off Littleville Road.

Workers for these three locations consist of volunteers and city employees. 

Volunteers include 32 members of a 75 member church in Birmingham who came to Haleyville Sunday with a large trailer of donated items, then stayed to help in the Oak Grove Community northeast of Haleyville.

More volunteers are needed, particularly to sort clothing at the Burnett Truck Line warehouse.

If you have the time and  can volunteer, even for a few hours, please come by the Haleyville Fire Department.