JEFFERSON COUNTY, AL (WBRC) -
Monday marks one week since an EF 3 tornado ripped through Jefferson County. Over the weekend, hundreds of volunteers cleared debris in hard-hit areas like Trussville and Clay. Don Bryant, who lives in the Pilgrim's Rest subdivision in Trussville, is still clearing wood and debris from his home. He says he is thankful for the volunteers.
"We've had a lot of volunteers come by," Bryant said, "I've come up in the morning and found people already pulling stuff out – people I didn't even know."
Bryant and his family suffered some injuries during the storm.
"All of us got hit by [concrete] blocks," Bryant said, "My wife went to the ER and had staples placed in her head. I got five stitches in my head. I got a broken finger."
Bryant is glad his wife and two daughters are alive. Now he is focusing on cleaning up what's left of his home.
"We've been taking it one day at a time. You don't really know how to deal with the situation never having experienced anything like this," said Bryant.
Many in Pilgrim's Rest are relying on volunteers like Ashley Lybrand and Jill Greene, both of Trussville.
"It actually reminds me of a scene from the Wizard of Oz where they just pick houses up and drop them and they just land where they are and a lot of times you don't know what you have until it's gone," Lybrand said.
Greene said, "You feel helpless because people are in different stages. Some people are waiting on insurance and some people are needing help."
Greene wants to encourage people to volunteer but warns it can be tough emotionally.
"Just watching people cry," said Greene, "Finding little kids stuff in the rubble as a mom that's probably one of the hardest things to see so it's not physical but more emotional and mental."
If you want to volunteer you can go to www.clayalabama.org.
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