April 27th, 2011 will remain in the Alabama News for a very long time. We continue to loose citizens as a result of those terrible storms. Our hearts go out to those in other states who have been hit by storms in recent weeks. Strangers arrived in Alabama from other states to help, many without anything except their tools. Facebook became the means of connecting those who needed help with those who could help. The fierce rivalry between Alabama and Auburn football and the poisoning of the "Toomer Oak Trees" spawned "Toomers for Tuscaloosa", on facebook. What started out as a simple attempt to feed some of the people who were victims of the tornadoes, turned into a massive relief effort that is still ongoing. Their efforts now extend to other states with supplies and volunteers. Toomers for Tuscaloose had trucks of supplies and volunteers on the way to Joplin, shortly after the storms struck there. TN and GA have also be included in their relief effort.
Of course, we as genealogists understand how far reaching families can be. We know that in the early days of our nation neighbors help neighbors. In the middle of all this tragedy we seem to have remembered our roots and stepped back in time. Once again neighbors are helping neighbors. If you are reading this, remember to keep all the victims in your prayers and if you have the opportunity make a donation to the relief and rebuilding in any state damaged by tornadoes. Rebuilding is happening in Alabama. These storms scattered family belongings over 100's of miles. Think of all the family history lost. Don't regret a loss like this, scan your photos and make copies of your research, then share them with your local genealogy society and put copies in a safe place. It never hurts to plan ahead, hopefully we won't ever need those backups.
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