This online news website is owned and operated by Becky Watts. The Editor can be reached at 770-468-7583 or at editor(at)PikeCountyTimes(dot)com. Pike County Times is a website for citizens to keep up with local events and stay informed about Pike County government. It began on November 13, 2006 as a watchdog on county government and has turned into an online newspaper.
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BARNESVILLE - It's been one year since the tornado touched down in the Piedmont Road and Barnesville area. It is easy to look around and see scars that lay on the surface of the area from the horrible destruction, but for those who care enough to look deeper, the healing process continues a little more every single day.
Many homes have been rebuilt and the rubble removed from the foundation where each stood as a witness to the tragedy of that night in April one year ago.
The Hotshot is back open for business. A church is being rebuilt with hopes of its reopening service in July.
The leaves are coming back on the trees. Grass is beginning to cover the scars on the ground. And the flowers are starting to bloom.
This barn has been rebuilt. These two houses were destroyed by the tornado along Highway 18 across from Cannafax Road. One has been rebuilt. The other lot is for sale.
The twisted trunk on the corner tells a story all its own even today. I saw a family huddled together after the storm, standing in the midst of the rubble of the corner home below. I couldn't intrude on their time of shock and grief but sent up a prayer of thanks that they were ok. I can't tell you how many people I talked to after the storm who told me that their stuff could be replaced and they were grateful for their lives during the passage of this horrible storm.
The loss of friends and loved ones still remains. The Gunters are still at the front everyone's minds when we talk about the storm. As I walked the path of the storm on Grove Street and visited across from Hot Spot, I discovered that they are still touching lives today in an amazing way.
The seeds from these flowers below must have been picked up in the storm because single plants are sprouting all over on Grove Street following the twist of the storm. I found them even as far away as a home by the Hot Spot. Homeowners are finding the single plants and moving them to their flower beds to enjoy.
There are many places with old foundations on Grove Street but no new homes to stand on them. The laughter of children is a little less in some places where children have moved with their families to new homes after the storm. Many walk the floors now when the skies grow dark and the winds start to whip around. The blissful innocence of what a storm can do is now gone and can never be regained.
But friendships have continued in earnest or have begun anew. Neighbors check on each other with more of a care than there was before the storm. After all, we aren't promised tomorrow and they have already lived through a traumatic experience together. Healing can be a long process and it will be long time before things get back to normal for some who have gone through this horrible experience. For some, it may never completely normal again and they are making a new path in their lives.
We mourn the loss of our neighbors and friends and continue to pray for those who have been affected by the storm. Healing continues a little more every single day.
Click here to read my articles from one year ago.
If you are a tornado victim and you see your property in these pictures, send me an email and I will be happy to email some pictures to you so you can have them. I am not uploading these pictures onto Zenfolio for purchase.
