Yesterday afternoon was a gorgeous melding of blue skies, bright sunshine and perfect temperature. I drove to Leakesville to volunteer to help the Red Cross, and along the roadsides enjoyed seeing the red clover, purple Sweet William, and yellow daisies all blooming exhuberantly in the emerald green grass.
Green Green Green! Every square inch of ground is covered in this vibrant green grass, with the awesome display of wildflowers mixed in. The trees have all budded out and the fresh new green leaves are resplendant.

As I approached Leakesville, several miles outside the city limits the path of the tornado became obvious. 12 Mississippi Co. power trucks were working on both sides of the highway replacing power poles. The tornado had gone down the side of the road and broken and toppled one pole after another. Huge trees that have survived so much had been pulled up by the roots and laid on the ground, or on top of houses. Debris had been pushed off the road.

It's disturbing to see homes you've seen for years with the roofs ripped off. The Farm Bureau office was a pile of bricks; it looked as if it had imploded. The facade of the Piggly Wiggly store was still standing, but the roof was gone and it is destroyed. A garbage truck was backed up to the door and perishable foods were being thrown in. Lot of activity there. The business next door to the grocery was destroyed. The path of the tornado was utterly capricious.

All over town you could see where the funnel dipped and skipped about. A teeny little mobile home would be intact, and next door a new brick home heavily damaged or destroyed.
FEMA and MEMA had set up in the old health clinic. The Red Cross had headquartered in the community center. They didn't need any volunteers--a spokesman said small towns were amazing--they were swamped with volunteers, and people donating things--clothing, food, all kinds of items; an outpouring of help. The Wayne Lee's grocery store in Lucedale had donated cases of water and bags of ice and there was a constant plea on the radio that anyone needing this to come to the RED CROSS and get it.

The town was buzzing with activity. The furniture store which was undamaged, had set up in front of the closed store with food and drink and a sign "FREE" so anyone needing something to eat or drink could get it. A church down the road had done the same thing.
This beast of a storm did one thing.
It showed how America and Americans can respond in a crisis, how the greatest nation on earth CAN be great when everything comes together and everybody works together. I would have been proud to take any person from any nation on earth to Leakesville and say "This is how it's done." That's the beauty of my America.

susil