After the Destruction, Wetumpka Begins to Recover
Wetumpka began what will likely be a long road to recovery on Sunday. It was one day after a powerful tornado ripped through the town, causing significant damage to a number of buildings and homes. Emergency responders say so far there have been only a handful of reported injuries. Residents were grateful, as dozens of volunteers and neighbors spent all day helping one another.
Bipin Kumar, a doctor in Wetumpka, has been there for decades. A few hours after the tornado hit, he went to check on his private practice on Highway 14, but huge trees blocked the road.
“It was a total mess. I could not even walk,” he said. “I had to park my car about at least two or three blocks away and then walk because the building was totally inaccessible.”
Several trees fell and punched big holes through his roof. Another roof – a metal one – lies curled up on his property. It blew over from somewhere; he’s not sure where.
Still, Kumar says, it could have been worse. It could have been a weekday and there could have been patients inside. Kumar was also grateful for the outpouring of support from friends and neighbors.
Elmore County District Judge Patrick Pinkston was among more than a dozen people who bundled up from the cold Sunday morning and set to work on Bipin’s office, which looks like a house. “Primarily we’ve been removing trees off of roofs. We’ve been cutting and removing slack,” Pinkston says. “Lot of chainsaw work, lot of hauling work.”
John De Block, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Birmingham, worked Sunday — without pay because of the federal government shutdown — to survey the damage all over Wetumpka.
Weather officials say the Wetumpka tornado had estimated wind speeds up to 135 mph. Many trees just snapped. There have been only a handful of reported injuries so far. De Block says that’s in large part because weather officials issued a tornado watch five hours before the storm hit, so residents had ample time to go stay with relatives or take shelter in their homes.
He says it’s unclear how long before the town gets back on its feet, “but it’s a significant amount of damage. It’s gonna take quite awhile to recover from this.”
The storm destroyed two historic churches downtown, the senior center and part of the police department. The high school opened as a shelter. Many lost their homes and thousands lost power.
Volunteers there and at area churches served up hot meals. Some of that food came from The Coosa Cleaver in downtown Wetumpka. Workers grilled burgers outside the restaurant and shuttled them out to hungry residents and first responders.
Others offered up hot soup, bottled water, and coffee. They say it’s the least could do to help their neighbors begin to pick up the pieces.
Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation
Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles.
A military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia
The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia is underway and expected to attract China's attention. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.
Trump marks anniversary of assassination attempt at the FIFA Club World Cup final
The president joined the players on the field after the match to present PSG players with their runner-up medals and hand Chelsea their championship trophy.
Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures
A park official said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.
Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon, Italy’s first singles champion
Italy's Jannik Sinner defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title. Sinner is the first Italian to win the tournament.
Senate committee details failures by Secret Service in preventing Trump shooting
The Senate Homeland Security Committee said the Secret Service's "lack of structured communication was likely the greatest contributor to the failures" at the Pennsylvania rally last summer.