Restoration of Murray County continues, thanks to army of volunteers

Apr. 24--CRANDALL -- Nearly two weeks after a tornado plowed through Murray County, killing seven, numerous residents remain displaced, while many others are in various stages of recovery.

Nearly 100 individuals remain in temporary lodging courtesy of the Salvation Army, while myriad others are staying with family and friends until they can return to their homes, said Gale Buckner, co-lead coordinator of Restore Murray, a collaboration between the community and churches to aid in the county's reclamation project. "We're guessing close to 800 people have been impacted."

More than 250 homes were hit by an EF-2 tornado -- the Enhanced Fujita Scale measures the intensity of tornadoes and runs from EF-0 to EF-5, with EF-5 the most severe -- with estimated peak winds of 135 mph on April 12, with 45 of the homes "totally destroyed," said Buckner, who started out as the volunteer and donation coordinator for this effort before transitioning to co-lead coordinator of Restore Murray. Fortunately, "the community has really, really come together with volunteer efforts," she said.

As of last weekend, "our guess is 1,500 volunteers, but that's a conservative estimate, because many don't register; they just go out and help," Buckner said. "We've had 15,000 volunteer hours as of Saturday night."

Micah Johnson is among the volunteers. He started assisting the night of the tornado and has continued helping, including as lead of a three-man crew working on Amanda Noland's roof on Thursday.

"I've been doing storm cleanup for 10 years," said Johnson, so he's witnessed damage in numerous areas, but this situation was personal, because he's a Chatsworth native. "This is my home, my family, and my friends."

The night of the tornado, Johnson grabbed his chainsaw to clear trees from roadways so rescue workers could reach victims.

This disaster produced "more deaths and more injuries" than others he's witnessed, and "I think it had been an eye-opener" that more storm shelters are necessary, especially for those in mobile home parks, he said. Twisters "uproot 200-year-old trees, (so) a little trailer doesn't have a chance."

Noland's mobile home on Baxter Road was spared such a dire fate, but her roof was seriously damaged, and Thursday morning's blustery conditions proved to be the coup de grâce.

"I didn't know it was that bad," Noland said. "I don't know what I'd do without them here."

Noland, her wife and their dogs actually took refuge at their next-door neighbor's storm shelter and were safe from the tornado, she said. They emerged to find not only roof damage, but also a lack of power to their residence, which continued for "two or three days."

Despite those setbacks, Noland considers herself lucky.

"There are people without homes," she said. "Other people need help even more than me."

Johnson's work on Noland's roof is only a temporary solution, however.

"We're just trying to keep as much water out of the house as possible so they can salvage their personal belongings," Johnson said. "I'd say there's approximately $30,000 worth of damage to this home."

Like for so many others, the problems for Noland will continue far beyond the tornado's immediate aftermath.

"We don't have homeowners insurance because we just moved in" a year ago, she said. "I'm just trying to figure out what to do."

There are numerous avenues of assistance available for Murray County residents, said Buckner, who has considerable management experience, both as having served as chair of the state's parole board and as Murray County's chief magistrate judge. For example, the Salvation Army is operating out of an office in Chatsworth at 211 Fort St., assisting with everything from housing to food and water, and can be reached at (706) 537-1853 or (706) 263-3139.

Local churches are paramount to outreach efforts, too. Calvary Baptist Church, Eton Baptist Church, Faith Worship Center, Sumach Presbyterian Church and Zion Hill Baptist Church, among others, all offer food and other supplies.

Churches are also critical because they can offer "spiritual and emotional counseling," in addition to meeting physical needs, Buckner said. After a tragedy, "sometimes people need someone to talk to, or someone to listen to them."

Furthermore, Holly Creek Baptist Church is accepting monetary donations. Payments can be made online at the church's website, dropped in the mail or dropped off at the church. Checks can be made payable to Murray Disaster Relief 2020. The church's address is 422 Holly Creek Cool Springs Road, Chatsworth, GA 30705.

Other guidance, directions and updates can be found on the Restore Murray Facebook page, Buckner said. On that page, victims can seek necessary items, and donors can offer them, too.

Since "the county's emergency management effort stood down, we've transitioned to Restore Murray, and we've continued what emergency management was doing, identifying needs in the community," she said. "We're still registering volunteers, (feeding) volunteers and families in the area, and rebuilding residences."

Volunteers can register to offer aid at Bagley Middle School, with staff typically there at 8 a.m. daily, she said. "We're taking volunteers all day, and we will be working this weekend."

Those in need of furniture following the tornado can obtain pieces at a warehouse set up at 430 Lowy Drive in Chatsworth, she said. It's open daily from 1 to 6 p.m.

"In the future, we're going to develop a team of key players in the community to determine what long-term recovery looks like for Murray County," she said. "The needs are fluid and changing."

Johnson, a construction worker, has been able to call upon his connections in the industry, and they've been eager to offer all manner of equipment, he said. "The outpouring of the community has been mind-boggling, really."

"Everyone stopped whatever they were doing to help," he said. Even the night of the twister, when it was "pure chaos, not one person ran or stopped trying to help."

For Johnson, offering his assistance following natural disasters has never been a difficult decision.

"I worked over 90 hours last week -- straight volunteer work -- but God gave me my tools and my abilities," he said. "The least I can do is share with other folks."

Editor's note: In an effort to keep the community updated on news about the new coronavirus (COVID-19), articles posted to our website under "Breaking News" are available to everyone for free, whether or not you're a subscriber. We encourage you to support us by subscribing to the Daily Citizen-News or by buying a copy of the newspaper at a local store or newspaper box.

___

(c)2020 The Daily Citizen (Dalton, Ga.)

Visit The Daily Citizen (Dalton, Ga.) at daltondailycitizen.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.