TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It’s been one month since tornadoes ripped through South Georgia, killing 16 people. Dougherty County was among the hardest hit areas.
An EF-3 twister left hundreds of homes and businesses damaged and destroyed.
Local, state and federal organizations are now all helping to rebuild Albany.
Khalil Williams stands in his neighborhood that was in the path of the tornado.
”It feels like just yesterday when it happened,” Williams says.
With homes still crushed from fallen trees, and cars left smashed in the roads, Williams reminisces about how he lucked out.
“I feel kind of grateful actually, because I’ve seen the neighbor’s car and they had a tree on their car,” said Williams.
He believes cleanup is going to take a while longer.
“It’s been a month and there is still debris on the side of the roads, it’s going to be a little minute,” said Williams.
However, there is progress. Fire officials say work orders for homes that need considerable repair have dropped significantly.
Albany Fire Department Assistant Chief Eugene Anderson says, “Somewhere in the neighborhood of 4,000 work orders, so to be in the tens from the thousands is an excellent number.”
So far, FEMA has provided $2.7 million in grants.
FEMA representative John Mills says, “For a lot of folks it’s a hand up to help them get back on their feet so they can begin their recovery.”
For Charlie Harris, his home is already fixed, “Mine’s already done, so I’m good to go.”
And now, he’s helping repair other homes.
“Pretty much we’re at the point where we’re trying to rebuild everybody, give everybody some home and self-esteem so they can go home,” said Harris.
Working hard to bring Albany back to life.
“We’ve got a lot more people we need smiling out here,” said Harris.
Hundreds of people have registered for FEMA assistance, including 800 in Dougherty County. If you want to register, you have until March 27th.
