By By Sharon White/The Meridian Star
March 19, 2001
At first glance, most of the streets in Russell and Dalewood appear to be like those in other communities in Lauderdale County people go to work, school and church during the week, and they spend the weekends doing outdoor chores.
But for people like Lessie Glass, whose home was heavily damaged during a tornado in mid-December, life is anything but normal.
Glass is one of 96 people who had to turn to others for help when the unthinkable happened, said Lee "Lucy" Lauderdale, a longtime Red Cross volunteer who has coordinated funding to repair damage and replace property at the Glass home since the storm.
For Glass, the recovery began a few days after two mobile homes were blown into her home on Willow Lake Road. She had lived there for 16 years. The roof was ripped off, the plumbing and wiring heavily damaged, and every window in the house was broken or brown out.
Her property was uninsured and she was forced to seek help from the Red Cross and religious organizations, such as the United Methodist Committee on Relief.
In Glass' case, the Red Cross was able to spend the minimum of $1,000 on repairs. Then Lauderdale said she had to call on UMCOR to buy materials, and Mennonite volunteers to perform repairs. She is hoping the last of the repairs will be complete by this weekend.
He said the problem for people like Glass now is that their lives remain in disarray, even after three months.
She said she is hoping she will be able to readjust once she returns home. Maybe life will one day be better, she hopes, but it will never be the same.
Sharon White is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at swhite@themeridianstar.com.