CWS School Kits were delivered along with tips on disaster preparedness and safety in school and at home during a Jefferson County, Ala., “Community Awareness Day” Oct. 9, 2014, in Birmingham, the county seat. Most of the 100 kits were given to children from communities battered by tornados and severe storms in April and still struggling to recover. Pictured: Department of Human Services volunteers hands out CWS School Kits. Photo: Ron Turney
CWS School Kits were delivered along with tips on disaster preparedness during a Jefferson County, Ala., “Community Awareness Day” Oct. 9 in Birmingham, the county seat. Most of the 100 kits were given to children from communities battered by tornados and severe storms in April and still struggling to recover.
It was one of the largest tornado outbreaks in state history. Two dozen tornados touched down throughout central and northern Alabama, killing five people and damaging or destroying more than 10,000 homes in nine counties – about 1,000 of them in Jefferson County.
“Many families have been broken up until their houses can be repaired,” said Ron Turney, a board member and volunteer for Lutheran Ministries of Alabama, a CWS partner.
As he handed out CWS School Kits on Oct. 9, Turney also asked the young disaster survivors to tell him how they were doing now. He said many told him some version of the following:
“We had to move out of our house. I’m living with Grandpa now, my brother is staying with one aunt and my mom with another. No one has room for all of us.”
Community Awareness Day is an annual event sponsored by the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency. Numerous cosponsors – including meteorologists from local TV stations each addressed some aspect of preparing for severe weather.
Lutheran Ministries of Alabama tested children with a few questions before giving them their CWS School Kits. Questions included:
“What’s the most dangerous part of a thunderstorm?” (Answer: lightning)
“How can you protect your head in a tornado?” (Answer: with a book, a bicycle helmet, or your arm)
“What should you do if you are at the beach and a hurricane warning is issued?” (Answer: Evacuate the area.)
“What’s in your ‘Go Bag’ at home?”
In response to that question, most children replied, “What’s a ‘Go Bag’?” Turney said. “That gave us a chance to talk with them about what to have ready in case they need to evacuate their home. Then we encouraged the children to talk about the importance of disaster preparedness with their families when they got home that evening.”
Annette Davis, Emergency Management Officer with Jefferson County EMA, said Alabama has been hit repeatedly by severe weather, including tornados and floods.
She volunteered her appreciation to Church World Service. “We can’t thank you enough,” she said. “We saw first-hand the distribution of the school kits. The people were so appreciative. I saw firsthand all the good you did. Over and over again, I heard, ‘Thank you! This is just what we need! We cannot thank you enough!’ from parents, teachers and children.”