Volunteers Help in Aftermath of Alabama Tornadoes

Traveling to and from Anniston, Alabama over this past weekend were some 30 members of the Snellville congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known for its nickname, the “Mormon Church.”

They spent Saturday, May 7th cleaning up debris at the site of Pinegrove Congregational Holiness Baptist Church, which was leveled by the recent tornadoes, with only the brick steps and the baptismal font remaining intact.  Fortunately, no church members were killed by the storms.

According to volunteer Maurice Byrd, “The pastor and his wife were very grateful for our help.  Their church was completely demolished by the storm. They told us that two people had survived in the basement of the church, and that two more had survived in the adjacent house.  One leader of another church also commented that he appreciated our service.”

Wearing their bright yellow Mormon Helping Hands T-shirts, the Snellville volunteers cut down damaged trees and burned the limbs in what remained of the church’s basement.  They also removed debris from the church cemetery.

After working into late Saturday afternoon, the volunteers stopped to set up tents on the lawn outside the Anniston meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which had not been damaged.  They stayed the night, attended Sunday services, and then packed up and headed for home in Snellville. 

In recent years, Mormon volunteers have also helped with clean-up efforts in flooded areas of Georgia and Tennessee, as well as traveled to Mississippi and Louisiana to assist in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Jennifer Wimber traveling to Anniston, Ala., over this past weekend with the Snellville congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.