Sawyerville still recovering, one month later

It’s been a month since an EF2 tornado ripped through the rural Hale County town of Sawyerville.

Jimmy Green has spent the last 30 days and nights working to rebuild his home that was destroyed in the deadly Feb. 3 Sawyerville tornado.

“The main thing is we started cleaning and getting debris and stuff moved,” Green said. “Yesterday, I built the dirt path here in case we bring a home back here. I’m just about ready for it. We hope in two weeks we have a home back here we are praying that everything goes the way we wanted to go.”

Green said he’s been fortunate to have help from family, friends and neighbors, but needs assistance from the state.

“The thing that people need most right now is funds,” Green said. “Money is so tight now. Fuel has gone up and you must deal with that and deal with having to eat. A lot of people saying funds been donating where are the funds we haven’t seen any.”

Many times, during the last month, Green said he felt things may not get back to normal, but with plenty of hard work and even more faith, he remains grateful and hopeful for the future.

“Trust in God and take it one day at a time,” he said. “God is still good. He gives us a setback to have a greater comeback. We must trust in the process of the Lord.”

Hale County Emergency Management Agency Director Russell Weeden said he’s hopeful monetary assistance from the state is coming soon.

A Small Business Administration loan is a low-interest loan allowing disaster victims more leeway in getting back on their feet after a disaster.