On March 3, 2019 a significant severe weather event impacted Alabama and Georgia causing death and destruction to multiple communities. The hardest hit community, Beauregard, AL lost 23 people. This was the most deadly tornado since the Moore, OK EF-5 tornado in May of 2013.

The Sirens Project reached out to His Hands Church for support to help deliver volunteers, supplies, and comfort to the community of Beauregard, AL. They delivered.

The response was overwhelming in the best way possible. We were able to deliver two trailers full of supplies and food to Smiths Station Baptist church, as well as a team of volunteers to help clean debris, talk with survivors, and organize care packages. It was an incredible experience getting to know those who survived such a horrific tornado.

Day 1 (Saturday) : Supply Drop and First Community

The majority of the first day (Saturday) was delivering our donated supplies to Long’s warehouse where Smiths Station Baptist Church (SSBC) had set up a delivery sight for long term relief storage. SSBC was so overwhelmed with supplies and food that they were forced to divert donations to another facility. We left His Hands Church in Woodstock, GA at 6:30am EST and arrived at SSBC at 8:00am CST with our trailers and volunteers. After delivering our supplies we headed East to assist a family near the Chattahoochee River that had sustained significant roof damage and tree damage. Angie’s roof was for the most part no longer a feature of the home, which allowed the intrusion of water. A lot of the family’s personal belongings were ruined, but their story of survival was one that will be hard to forget. The damage here was not as intense as further west near Beauregard, and thankfully there were no fatalities in this area. We mainly focused on debris clean up, and were able to remove and push aside a large portion of brush and downed trees that covered their yard.

Day 2 (Sunday) : Beauregard, AL

After a full night of rest and food at SSBC, we headed into the EF-4 damage zone near the small town of Beauregard, AL. The scope of damage here was more intense compared to what the communities to the East experienced. The mission here was very different. Our focus shifted from debris removal to debris recovery. Many families South of Beauregard lost absolutely everything. To the point that rebuilding what they had left was not an option. The only thing left to do was salvage sentimental items such as: photographs, books, dishes, and clothes in order to have tangible evidence of what was in hopes of moving forward. We spent the entire day Sunday helping survivors and and relatives of victims recover what was left. This was a very humbling experience for the crew. A stark reminder to not take anything for granted. Our thoughts and prayers remain with those who are still recovering from the March 3, 2019 severe weather outbreak.