Helping the City of Two Angels: A Donation Drive and Prize Giveaway to Benefit the Victims of Alabama Tornadoes

Yes, everyone, this is pretty long. However, please read Tiara’s accounts of last week’s devastation in the city that we share — and then read about our fundraiser below.

Ripped apart

If there was a point in my life that I thought I was going to die, this was it.

The confirmation of a tornado headed toward the University of Alabama campus happened minutes before the lights went out. I sat with my back against the cold wall, waiting and listening.

Someone had the storm coverage streaming on their laptop, but I could not hear or see it over the pack of students who cluttered around to watch. Panic would would come in waves, as others would tell them to be quiet and listen.

I finally joined in the crowd. Straining my neck, I saw the horrific images: a black, giant tornado — clear as day — bore down in the center of Tuscaloosa. I was unsure of where it was. I was unsure of when it would get here, but I knew it was coming.

Several minutes passed. I was calm, but I felt like I was shaking. I remember people running outside with camera equipment as we watched the live feed of the tornado aiming toward the stadium on campus. I was in a building next door.

A couple of minutes passed and I heard nothing. Someone said that it destroyed sorority row, which was across the street. Did it? I didn’t know. We continued to watch the camera feed. It was crossing onto 15th Street now, in the very heart of town.

Huddled in the crowd, I saw another guy talking on his iPhone, presumably with his parents. His hands were shaking violently with fear as he hung up the phone. I asked him what was wrong.

“My house is over there,” he said. “Oh God, my house.”

I rubbed his shoulder and told him that it was going to be okay. I hope I didn’t lie to him.

Building menace

Not many students I knew took the storm threat seriously.

Growing up in Alabama, tornadoes and thunderstorms are just another part of life in living here. Most of my friends talk about hosting “tornado parties” or watching movies like “Twister” during severe weather.

However, what was uncommon was the increased frequency of these violent storms. For several weeks in a row, the University released severe weather updates through text messages and email, and canceled classes on several occasions.

On April 15, a small tornado struck Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, blowing down signs, roofing and knocking out power in that area. No one in Tuscaloosa was injured, however, 38 people died from this storm system across several states through April 14 – 16.

Though we had advanced warning about the next big storm system, it was hard to even fathom the destruction that was to come.

Taken by surprise

On April 27, I had an early start. About 5 a.m., I received a phone call from my sister Cheyenne Triggs. She told me tornadoes were on the way.

“Again?” I asked. I looked out the window. There was no wind. Not even rain. “Well, keep me updated. I’m going to go wake up my roommates.”

When I woke Courtney and Lauren, they reluctantly opened their doors.

“Tornadoes are on their way,” I said.

“I know,” Lauren said, slowly blinking. “Mom called me already. It’s going to be like this all day.”

—

After taking a short nap, I went to a meeting to practice for a huge presentation, and then I went to my final newspaper editing class at 3 p.m.

Exams were coming up next week, so Dr. Roberts quizzed us on basics of the Associated Press Stylebook.

As we practiced, I left my laptop open on top of the desk, streaming ABC33/40 severe weather coverage on mute. At the time, meteorologist James Spann was gesturing at a large tornado that was crossing through the city of Cullman, Ala. The size of the tornado on screen caught my eye, and I glanced at it for a couple of moments.

“Don’t look at your laptop for the answers,” Dr. Roberts said. There were several laptops open at the time, however, I assumed he was talking to me. I faced the front again.

Around 4 p.m. we heard tornado sirens. I looked out the window. No wind or rain. A few moments later, alarms in Reese Phifer exploded.

“Tuscaloosa is under a tornado warning,” a guy’s voice said over the intercom. “Please head to the lowest level in this building. Classes are suspended until 4:30 p.m.”

Dr. Roberts told us to go straight downstairs and not to leave. “Sorry to go kindergarten teacher on you guys,” he said, referencing his wife’s profession.

We walked down several flights of stairs, and sat in a hallway on the bottom floor of Reese Phifer. I opened my laptop again, and turned up ABC’s coverage.

As we waited, I watched my friend play Sonic the Hedgehog on iPhone until Dr. Roberts suggested that we finish practicing for our final. We went through every prepared question.

Every 10 minutes, the school’s alarms would explode again with voice reminding us to get downstairs to safety. I tweeted about how annoying it was. Every so often, the warning would be extended.

Unfamiliar students crowded near the large windows down the hallway.  Bored, I walked down there, to see what they were looking at.  Out of the large window, you could see the right side of Bryant-Denny Stadium as Reese Phifer was less than a 2 minute walk to the entrance.

I walked out the side door to get a better look. It was raining now, but not hard. I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, but I could hear multiple tornado and police sirens going off in the distance that echoed in the narrow alley next to the door.

Another warning blasted from the intercom, so I went back inside. Though I already knew the answer, I sent a text message to my boyfriend Stephen to ask him what he was doing.

“Studying,” he said. “…Though this storm may be getting pretty serious.”

“Are you safe?” I asked. He was studying for his law exams at Bryce Lawn, an on campus apartment community.

“Yep. If the power goes out, I’ll just train Pokémon,” he answered.

A few minutes later, the sirens went off again. “The warning will expire at 4:45. If you can safely travel back home, please be aware of road conditions.”

Many students packed up their belongings and left. My apartment was a 20 minute walk from the communications school, and there was no telling if the buses were even running. I decided to stay.

About 20 minutes later, the sirens went off again and a new warning was issued.

“A tornado has been confirmed in Tuscaloosa!” the voice said. “Please get to the lowest level of this building.”

A couple of minutes later, several guys carrying equipment and cameras rushed down the hallway and outside. People began crowding in the windowed hallway. They were talking loudly and some of them came back inside.

Sirens again. “A tornado is headed toward the stadium,” the voice said.

There was absolutely nothing I could do now. I sent text messages to Stephen and to my sister Cheyenne to let them know where I was and what was going on.

The lights went out briefly, and low level lighting flicked on. I heard screams but I heard no wind, or rain.

—

We sat in the hallway for at least another thirty minutes after the tornado had passed. We sat quietly in the hallway. It felt like time had stopped.

Some of us were afraid that another tornado was on the way, others were just trying to reach their family to let them know that they were okay. Around 5:30 p.m. I received about 15 text messages in a row, mainly from my sister.

“Tiara, call me.”

“Oh my God.”

“Are you okay!?”

“Pick up the phone!”

I tried dialing her number several times, but the network was down. I managed to squeeze out a text message: “I’m fine.” I tried calling Stephen, but I gave up. “Are you okay?” I texted him.

“Training Pokémon in the closet,” he said. “I’m fine. It came close to here though.”

Around this time, one of the professors stood up. He had graying white hair, and wore a green polo.

“Since the tornado warning has passed, I think everyone is free to leave. Please be careful.”

The aftermath

I heard someone on the radio say the other day that there are several parts to a crisis situation, each its own individual disaster. The first part is the crisis itself. And then the second part is the aftermath.  Luckily, the EF-4 tornado veered away from UA’s campus and did minimal structural damage. As an on-campus resident, the worst we experienced was a loss of power and internet, a boil water warning and minimal cell phone service.

We were the lucky ones. The tornado barely missed campus, instead ripping the other side of Tuscaloosa in half. Neighborhoods for miles were leveled. The business district of 15th Street and parts of McFarland Boulevard were gone. Even the local hospital, DCH, wasn’t safe — the storm blasted through many of its windows. Alberta City, a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city, was completely decimated.

However, UA strongly encouraged us to leave Tuscaloosa if it was safe to do so. The University canceled classes and exams,  and closed all buildings on campus except the one of the dining halls. Graduation was to be held on August 6  instead of May 7.

I couldn’t leave if I wanted to. It was unsafe to travel to back to my sister’s town in Cordova, Ala. Her town was nearly obliterated, and it would be several days before she told me that the house she just bought was still in one piece.

The days following the April 27 tornadoes were scary and confusing. There were rumors of looting, vandalism and rape, though most of these stories were just rumors. My resident advisor told me not to go out at night alone as campus remained largely without police presence.

I realized that I also lost weight when Stephen told me that I felt “lighter.” I didn’t realize it, but I was not eating normally. In a situation of this magnitude, food seemed trivial.

One day, a few friends and I went to a McDonald’s in the nearby city of Northport to charge our laptops and cell phones. There, I was able to pay some bills I was worried about, and check in with my friends on Facebook. I caught up on as much of the news as I could, and sent email responses to my professors to let them know that I was okay.

When reading through the student deaths, I saw that one of the students who died was friends with my friend David. I decided not to say anything.

On April 29, we received power and internet back at our apartment. It was about 7 a.m., and I woke up and continued checking out the news. I saw the pictures of devastation and I also read that President Barack Obama was touring the damage that day.

Neighbors in need

Volunteer efforts are ongoing across the state. Many of my friends have been working nonstop in many of the devastated areas, helping clear areas of debris and providing victims with basic necessities.  Through volunteering with some local churches, I traveled into the areas hit hardest by the tornadoes. One area I volunteered in was in near 15th Street, in the Forest Lake community.

My friend Lloyland and I went out into a devastated area near Forest Lake Baptist Church. We helped carry palettes of water and food that people would drop off. It was such a rewarding experience as people were extremely helpful and wanted to be there.

I have never seen such an outpouring of warmth, generosity and kindness before.  People would constantly bring truckloads of water, food and toiletries. The church’s pantry was full of food, where they would welcome tornado victims to grab as much as they needed.

However, as we drove back to campus, I heard DJs on 94.1 FM say that a donation drop off point may be at capacity and still be empty within the hour.

The needs of the tornado-devastated areas change from day to day. Of course, people need basic necessities like food and water, but it was not unheard of it hear that items like can openers and tarps were needed.

Pain ointment, sunscreen, feminine hygiene products, toothbrushes, generators, toys, coal grills and even a laptop for a freshman girl who lost everything. You name it, someone needs it.

Sometimes, it gets hard to keep up with what people need. There are many groups on Facebook with the purpose to keep volunteers informed about the needs of these communities. One group, “Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa,” does an excellent job of constantly updating where volunteers and supplies need to be distributed.  This group was founded by fans of University of Alabama rivals, Auburn University. It’s wonderful to see the state of Alabama work together to help each other through disaster.

We are Alabama

The most painful thing about this disaster is that our city of Tuscaloosa, and even our state, may never be the same. Not only were homes and businesses lost, people were also robbed of their livelihood. The tornadoes on April 27 swept away victims’ jobs, schools and a chance for some students to walk during graduation.

However, what wasn’t lost that day was pride for our community and our state. Through  this disaster, I have seen wonderful and continuous acts of kindness and sacrifice to help others. I have witnessed people picking each other up when others have felt down.

And I have learned that no matter how disastrous life’s storms are, everything will be okay.

---

A note from Tiffany: However, everything being okay is going to take a lot of time. The generosity of others has helped us immensely, but with $100 million of damage or more on the books, I honestly don’t know how long it’s going to take before I can leave my apartment without having to see this damage.

Even though I am incredibly lucky to have narrowly avoided property damage and death (my husband and I live about a half-mile from each of the tornado’s “epicenters of destruction”), it still makes me physically sick to see and think about this. I have nightmares. I haven’t slept a whole night since. It haunts me to the very core.

Despite the fact that both Tiara and myself live in Tuscaloosa, we’re not the center of the universe, and this tornado was by no means the worst. Perhaps you’ve heard about Hackleburg, Ala., where 29 of the town’s 1,500 total residents sadly met their demise as a result of an EF-5 tornado (ours turned out to be an EF-4).

With that many people dead in such a small town, and so much destruction along with it…well, I can’t see their lives getting back to normal for a few years.

But we want to help anywhere we can. That’s why we’re organizing this donation drive to help Alabama cities and towns that have been devastated not by man, and not predictably, but by nature — one of the very few things in this world that we as a species have very little control over.

I’m sure you’re wondering, “What’s in it for me?” and we’ve already figured that out. In addition to a little good karma, send us (tiffany@gamingangels.com or cherith@gamingangels.com) proof of donation to a cause directly benefiting tornado victims, and you get an entry into our super-fabulous prize giveaway.

As these things usually go, first we’re raiding the GA Prize Closet (which is where we keep the cool stuff) to create a prize package or two, and we’re also trying to get a few special prizes put together before the contest ends…which should be in a couple of weeks.

So, by May 23 (or later, we may extend this), send proof of donation (and by that we mean the email receipt — sorry, but text messages are too easy to fake) to either one of the linked addresses above and you’ll get an entry.  You can black out any addresses or phone numbers, if it makes you comfortable to do so, but we want to see at the very least, your full name, the donation amount, and the name of the charity you donated to.  (We did something very much like this last year in the wake of the Haiti earthquakes.)

Prizes in the prize pack could include: games (for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS or PSP), posters, tshirts, books, DVDs, Anime, Manga, statues, plushies, board games, CCG/TCG cards/decks or other random prize closet items.

Don’t know where to donate? Well, the list below is where we’d like you to start. If you want to donate to a charity not on this list, please let us know beforehand so that we can review it and let you know if it will count. We will try to get back to you within 24 hours (but usually a lot sooner).

• The University of Alabama’s Acts of Kindness Fund
  • “The UA Acts of Kindness Fund will be used to provide financial assistance to employees and students who qualify under the guidelines of this emergency-assistance program. Emergencies usually are related to loss and damage caused by fire, tornado or other natural disaster or a medical emergency that causes leave without pay. The program may be used to help employees and students pay grocery bills, rent or mortgage payments, electric, gas and medical bills.”
• The American Red Cross
  • Specify “disaster relief.”
• United Methodist Committee on Relief
• The Salvation Army
  • Specify “Southern tornado relief.”
• Alabama Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives – Tornado Relief
• Samaritan’s Purse
  • Enter a dollar amount for “US Disaster Relief.”
• United Way of West Alabama
  • 100 percent of donations between now and August 31 go directly to tornado relief in West Alabama.
• United Way of Central Alabama
• (Sigh) Charlie Sheen set up Torpedoes Against Tornadoes (No, I’m not kidding)
• Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions Tornado Relief Page
• Catholic Charities USA
• Cooperative Baptist Fellowship

 

Everyone at GA, especially Tiara and myself, thanks you.