Over 1 year later, after April 28, 2014 when an F4 changed our lives, we’re still putting things back together. We’re also discovering that glass shards and debris tend to find the most unique places to hide!
Regardless, another step forward was made this week as I got my damaged Ninja all fixed up. I decided to take it out with my GoPro Hero3 (helmet mount) and do a quick update video on the tornado damage in my immediate area: Richardson Rd., Henry Moore St., Wood St., McCullough Rd., and Hwy 14/E. Main St.
Take a ride with me as we survey the changes since “the storm” as we call it. Many houses are simply gone, a lot of us are rebuilding, and yes – we’re not done! We have about a month until we plan to be back in our house still being repaired.
It has been a year of rebuilding, reflection and gratitude. We have seen the best of our friends, family and those unknown.
We’re not not done, but we’re almost to the finish line. I do want to take this time to personally recognize some very special people who helped us. Please forgive me if I leave someone out, but we’re not done.
Once we get back into our house, we will be formally recognizing and thanking all – we simply feel we have to.
Thank you,
Karen Allen
Jackson Forster
David & Lisa Forster
Karen Baskin VanDyke
Granddaddy Baskin
Ryan Maynard & OPFN
Mark Clark & Met Life Insurance
Mike Childs & FUMC Family (for a place to stay)
Shannon Baskin
Lisa & Johnny Luke
Darby Nowell
Robin Chastain
Lainey Smith
Ricky & Lynn Smither
Susanne Blalock
Glynda, Kelly, Robbie, Grant, and Glyn
Delbert Hoseman & Staff (yes, our Secretary of State personally helped us during salvage)
Katherine Darnell
Ashley Cochran
Greg Tacker, my KA Brothers, & our DSU Family
Kristie Perrett Sbravati
Missy Hannah Kistemaker
The Bullocks & Bullock Toyota Staff
Flint Minshew
Curtis, Cory, and Mary Nell Richardson
Walley Bennett
Jennifer Bennett
Timmy Cole
Will Hill
Tommy Edwards
Terry Woods
Jimmy McPherson
Like I said, there are others, and I will formally recognize all once we are back in our home. It looks like we’re about 1 month out now. Hard to believe it has been a full year!
Although we’ve had tremendous weather delays and several other hoops and barriers to overcome, we’ve made it through.
Stay tuned for updates, and I welcome your questions and comments!
Hello All…Thank you for all your well wishes, prayers, and thoughts. We are gradually getting on our feet and digging out all of our remaining belongings. Our community is strong and we’ll pull out. So many of you want to help, and it’s just been so overwhelming to try and think about what to ask for…and just accepting help in general.
So Many of you have asked how to donate and contribute, so I finally got internet access at a friends house to where I could set this up. Again thank you for wanting to help – means more than you know. This is our emergency funds account.
Once we get back to normal operations, we’ll donate any extra to our charity, St. Jude.
We have limited access to internet right now, so I’m putting this post up at a friends house. Again, just know that we are so grateful to all our friends and family.
UPDATE 11/15/2014: We are still in temporary housing and all is moving along well. We have what we need and are moving forward. We’ve had to secure additional finances to fully rebuild our house, and we aren’t the only ones who’ve had difficulty with insurance. Our insurance is Metlife, and they are doing the best they can it appears. The adjuster, Mark Clark, is sparse in terms of having access to him when we find new issues. But when he does return our calls or answer emails, he tends to come through. We are 20% complete on the rebuild.
