Grove Picks Up the Pieces After Tornado

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

 

More than a week after a tornado touched down in their community, affected Grove residents are picking up the pieces with help from neighbors, volunteers and James City County.

 

The tornado cut a swath through Kingsmill and then severely damaged the Reid Trailer Park and nearby homes in Grove on April 16, part of a chain of storms that swept through Hampton Roads. All the families in the six trailers in Grove as well as a few close neighbors had to evacuate their homes, at least temporarily. Since then, the Grove Christian Outreach Center, the Red Cross and the county worked together to help people who were affected.

Thanks to the help of various volunteers and organizations, one family has secured an apartment and a few people have had enough repairs to their homes to move back. As of Tuesday evening, five families still need places to live but they’re receiving assistance through the county and the Outreach Center.

“People are just blessing the community in ways we didn’t expect,” says GCOC Assistant Director Deena Walls. Her organization created a disaster relief fund through Towne Bank, which so far has raised over $8,000 to help Grove tornado victims. About $5,000 of that was donated by the local Kiwanis Club.

On Saturday, 40 volunteers gathered in Grove to start cleaning up. They removed debris and trash and did what they could to clean the area and help residents fix and remove items from damaged homes.

“People from all different churches, communities and backgrounds came together to help,” says Walls. “Residents from the community have pulled together, became more of a family, and they created a greater camaraderie after this [tornado].”

Patricia Blue and her daughters can’t go back to live in their home in the trailer park, and have been in a hotel since the tornado hit. The county helped her pay the security deposit and the first month’s rent for an apartment and the folks at CGOC helped her get a mover to transport her possessions Monday, and she’s really thankful. She’s no longer living in Grove, though.

“I’m sad to go, but it’s just up the street,” says Blue. “I got a whole lot of support from everybody.”

Grove has helped collect supplies and food for tornado victims and the county has provided gift cards, bus tickets, and food replacement for SNAP food stamp recipients. The Department of Social Services has also been paying for hotel stays for families when Red Cross funding ended and is helping to coordinate permanent housing for victims.

Over two days in May, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the county will work together to remove remaining debris in the Grove area.

Families still need help, Walls says, and the disaster relief fund will remain open for now. People who would like to make a contribution can stop by any Towne Bank branch. The Outreach Center will continue to post what’s most needed on its Facebook page. Anyone still requiring assistance can contact Rebecca Vinroot with the county’s Department of Social Services at 259-3104.