After the Tornado: Day 11 @ Yadkin Rd

Community help quickly came to neighbors rescue the week following the April 16th tornadoes across Cumberland County. Yadkin Road businesses suffered great loss as well as the housing community, Cottonade. With a simple digital cam, I decided to revisit the destruction to document the progress.

A couple blocks from Ponderosa shopping center lies destroyed buildings and homes from the natural disaster. The busy Yadkin Road was full of onlookers and cleanup crew. The local businesses were still roofless, with piles of trash and debris, and obviously out of business. A lincoln town car was visible with a tree lodged into the windshield; the same car from national pictures of the damage with stacked cars and outed powerlines. It appeared to be one of the most noticeable sites from the road, yet roofless homes accented the background
I entered Cottonade and discovered many homes with massive damage. The storm seemed to snap trees like twigs, with many over 50ft tall.  These trees tore through roofs and landing inside homes. Each street seemed busy with different sources of help.  Bunyan Tree services had trucks all over the neighborhood; using a mechanical claw to pickup large tree trunks and limbs. Time Warner Cable trucks, Fayetteville City Police, and Red Cross was also noticeable in Cottonade.  With recent reports of looting at some properties, I could see constant police patrolling.

One home stood out with a flag waving from its damaged roof.  This flag is visible from Yadkin Rd passerby vehicles and seems to be an iconic portion of the cleanup.  I noticed neighbors talking about damage.  Red Cross Disaster Relief vehicles were parked outside homes giving advice to residents.  With many local fundraisers and outreach centers, the area appears to be eager in recovering and repairing from the disaster.  FEMA has been dispatched across the city to assess the damage and find ways to help those in need.  For information on How to get help or How to Give Help, see our past news post.

• Get the Facts from SBA: Great Online Guide!
• FEMA at 1-800-621-3362
• www.fema.gov

Yadkin Road Photo Gallery