April has been a devastating month for the American south, with super cell thunderstorms and tornadoes striking weekly. April 16 saw deadly storms move through North Carolina, and surrounding states. And in the following week, absolutely catastrophic storms moved through Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, and other southern states - completely destroying many towns, neighborhoods, and lives. The death toll has risen to over 300, and rises daily as more bodies are discovered in the rubble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscalo...ingham_tornado
These events were given human form through a series of posts by MobileRead's own DixieGal. She and her husband Tim miraculously survived a direct hit by the killer tornado that devastated Tuscaloosa and Birmingham.
Start reading this thread (
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...34441&page=592) at post # 8874 to experience the absolute terror that countless thousands of people underwent during that long night. No news report can better express the devastation than DixieGal's post:
Quote:
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There is nothibg left. My house is gone
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I read it that night, and couldn't take in the enormity of those eight words. DixieGal and Tim survived, huddled in a closet, as all of their neighbors were killed. They are now living with her brother-in-law, and they need our help.
Many MobileRead members have asked how to help.
Obviously DixieGal - and all the survivors - need our prayers, wishes for recovery, supportive thoughts. But to be blunt - these people need money - to rebuild their lives, and to cover what their insurance or FEMA assistance doesn't cover. For those members who are able to contribute to them, here are some links.
1. You can donate to the American Red Cross, which is currently feeding, clothing and housing survivors.
http://american.redcross.org/site/Pa...seStateSection
You can direct your donations be directed towards the tornado survivors.
2. Friends of DixieGal can donate directly to her and Tim via PayPal, using the "Send Money to Friends or Family" option. Use nixbtlov[use the AT sign] aol[DOT]com to send funds to them.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/websc...-general&nav=0
If you do not want to use PayPal, PM me for her mailing address.
For those who choose to donate directly to DixieGal, I (and MobileRead) sincerely thank you. You can imagine how funny and embarrassing it is for her and Tim to accept help from her friends, but folks - they lost everything, and have to start over. Imagine how you would feel in her place.