Many Glade Spring residents extra thankful this year

Most of the pine trees in the yard are gone, and many neighbors are in new homes or still in the process of rebuilding.

But Aretta Myers said she is exceptionally thankful this year – for her life, for her home and for her son, David, who took a two week furlough from the Army and was able to spend Thanksgiving with his mother and fiancée at home in Southwest Virginia.

“I’m very thankful for my home, because we were in the tornado,” she said Thanksgiving morning, before heading out to celebrate the holiday with other family members in Chilhowie, Va. “I’m really, really thankful that it didn’t take more than it did – it could’ve just wiped out everything and everybody. It just gives you a shiver to think about it.”

Her son, David Myers, a specialist in the Army, wasn’t home when the tornado struck – he was in basic training out west.

“The main thing as far as thankfulness is, how the community came together,” he said. “Our neighbors, they’re really good to us, it’s amazing how families and communities come together in times like that.”

His mother didn’t lose her home, although it did suffer damage; the roof, siding and some windows were replaced, and several large pine trees had to be cut out of the back yard. A youth group from New York came by in the days after the tornado to help with that, Myers said.

“You don’t know how many friends and how many people care about you until something like this happens,” Aretta Myers said. “Glade is a real nice place to live, it really is. We’ve gotten close and care for each other. We’ve got the common bond of a big community gathering. It’s a happy day, and we are real thankful for it.”

The Henderson family lost their home in the April tornado, and celebrated their first Thanksgiving in a new house.

“We’ve got a lot to be thankful for,” said Carlous Henderson. “We’re thankful we have today after what we went through. We’re finally getting back together I guess.”

While their home was being repaired, Carlous and his wife Elizabeth Henderson stayed next door at their son’s home.

“I’m thankful we’re still alive,” said John Henderson, their son. He and his wife, Lynn, and their daughter, Shannon, ate traditional Thanksgiving food at Carlous and Elizabeth’s new home.

Elizabeth Henderson said the holiday is a chance to reflect on all the helping hands that showed up after the storm.

“I have so much to be thankful for this year,” she said. “Most of all we thank God that we’re safe. So many people showed kindness, you don’t really realize there are so many good people in the world until something like this goes through.”

Her granddaughter Shannon said she was glad her own home was fixable. She is blind, and said she was glad she didn’t have to relearn the layout of another home while theirs was repaired. She said she’s getting used to her grandparent’s new home, and is glad to spend Thanksgiving there.

Her mother said the experience brought out the best in the community.

“My preacher often tells the story about the oyster, because it has a hard life,” she said. “It takes sand and a pearl is made – that’s kind of what the tornado did. You really realize what you’re thankful for.”

She said she is appreciative of all the help offered after the tornado.

“We really had so much help, I just couldn’t possible thank everyone enough,” she said. “We really had people to turn out and help us, for which we’re really thankful. It’s just impossible, really, to let people know what difference they make.”

Another family in the community, the Fields, just moved back into their home last week. They’re living in the finished basement until the upstairs can be completed, said Patty Fields.

“We were tickled to death to move back in,” she said. “The girls are happier.”

Fields said she typically cooks Thanksgiving dinner, but this year, the family planned to go out to eat with her husband’s family.

She said her girls – ages 12, 6 and 4 – liked watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and hoped to be able to make the trip to New York sometime.

“We are thankful, we’re very blessed,” Fields said. “In light of this year, yes, Thanksgiving Day is special but we live every day like we should be thankful on Thanksgiving. We’re thankful every day.”

arobinson@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2531

Glade rebuilding effort continues

The rebuilding process is far from over, but the Glade Spring seen today is vastly different from the one that existed the night after a killer tornado ripped through the region.

“As we approach the holiday season, most folks are back in their homes,” said Pokey Harris, Washington County, Va., emergency management coordinator earlier this week. “We’ve made remarkable strides in the last several months.”

About 100 homes in the Glade Spring community and surrounding areas have been rebuilt, said Jessica Cline, marketing communications manager for United Way of Russell and Washington Counties.

Some of those still need roof work or porches, she said, but they’re mostly done. Another 10 or so are in the works, and as more funding comes in, more can be built.

Both Harris and Cline said the rebuilding process isn’t over: Volunteers are still needed.

“We desperately volunteers,” Cline said. “Volunteers have kind of dropped off.”

She said people are needed soon to put in sheetrock in homes, and cover roofs with tarps before winter really sets in.

Harris said financial contributions are still needed, too.

“There’ll be some financial woes along the way,” she said. “We still have a very large caseload. Hopefully in the spring we’ll see projects crop up.

United Way continues to serve as the fiscal agent for the rebuilding efforts. People can donate online at rwcunitedway.org, by calling the office at (276) 628-2160 or by going in person to the office on Preston Street in Abingdon.

“It’ll be months before we can say we’re totally rebuilt,” Harris said. “But we continue to see progress every day. I use the word ‘phenomenal’ to describe it.”