Pickens County community rallies together after deadly twister

PICKENS COUNTY, Al. (WCBI) – There are not many people who live along Settlement Road in Pickens County.

Just like most communities in our area, Settlement is close to a bigger town – in this case, Carrollton.

When the storm moved on Settlement Saturday, it was their neighbors who came to help.

Many families lost everything. Some of them have no home, no insurance, and no security.

The only thing they have is support from their community.

“People hit the ground running. This thing hadn’t got through, and there was people pulling up to help and help get the roads opened up for the ambulances to get through,” said Carrollton Mayor Mickey Walker.

Walker is just one of the dozens of volunteers helping storm victims in Pickens County.

“We’ve already, this morning, handed out clothes and give out gift cards to the people that we could catch up with to help with their needs,” said Walker.

Area churches have also played a big role. Some even coming over from neighboring states, like Ben Saul with Christian Disaster Relief out of Brooksville, Mississippi.

“You feel so sorry for them… It’s one of those things to help our neighbors. There’s nothing better than that. When we all come together and work together, it just makes it a whole lot easier,” said Saul.

Tammy Spain was out of town when the twister hit her house. Her four children, however, were inside.

Thankfully, no one was injured. Spain said all she has left is family and the support of her community.

“I love the way that everybody has came together, how they just reached out to help in any way they could. If you say you need something, oh, it’s coming,” said Spain.

“Everybody out here is depending on the community to come out here and help them because they just lost everything, and some of them they’re still in shock, you know, they don’t… they’re just picking their stuff up,” said Walker.

This Pickens County Community has a long road to recovery. Despite their recent hardships, many remain optimistic.

“Mother nature is mean, but it brings out the best in human nature,” said Saul.

Mayor Walker said volunteers are still in need of trash bags and work gloves.

If you’d like to get involved with clean-up efforts or donations, contact Carrollton City Hall.