Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

When a natural disaster impacts a population, the only thing to do is rely on the strength of the community to get through it. On March 26, the EF-3 tornado that touched down in the neighborhoods outside of West Point left many homes destroyed. 

For Block of Blessing Day, volunteers from Chattahoochee Fuller Center Project and Freedom in Christ will spend the day doing their part to clean up storm debris on May 6.

There is still a lot of storm clean-up left to be done. To date, they have received little, if any, assistance from FEMA or other federal or state relief agencies, according to Chattahoochee Fuller Center Director Kim Roberts.

“It’s been three weeks, and there’s still so many trees down in yards, and I just felt like we needed to help,” Roberts said. 

Roberts said what they need most from the community now is more volunteers. The group will meet at the Bethel Baptist Church at 8 a.m. ET. 

“If you have a shovel, rake, chainsaw — anything — we need you to help bless our neighbors in need,” she said. 

Plant City Baptist Church and Church of Highlands will send volunteers and disaster teams out to the area. Volunteers will be cutting and removing fallen trees and clearing out debris from the tornado. 

“These people are our neighbors, and they just need to be loved on,” Roberts said. “We went yesterday through the neighborhoods and got to talk to several of the homeowners, and they’re hurting. There’s still so many trees that are laying in yards. It’s just still a lot to do.”

West Point Mayor Steve Tramell is coming out to assist with Block of Blessing Day, though the impacted area is not within the city limits. Kia, Hyundai TRANSYS, the Charter Foundation and West Point Methodist Church have agreed to help by sending out volunteers as well as financial donations. 

“We just appreciate our business and local businesses are stepping in,” Roberts said. 

Pastor Randall Hamer with the Plant City Baptist Church has been volunteering in the neighborhood for the past few weeks. Roberts got in touch with Hamer and asked what the CFCP could do to help.

For three weeks, the citizens hit by the tornado outside of West Point have banded together, grilling out for their neighbors.

“The neighbors are cooking, grilling for each other,” Roberts said. “It was sad, but it was also a wonderful sight to see how they’re taking care of each other.”

Those planning to volunteer can sign up on the Chattahoochee Fuller Center Facebook page so that the organization can provide lunch for all volunteers on the day. 

“We want as many community volunteers as we can get is plenty of work to be done,” Roberts said.