‘We will rebound’ Alabama Sen. Doug Jones tells county battered by tornado

Sen. Doug Jones had seen video of the tornadoes that raked across Alabama, obliterating homes and killing 23. But it wasn’t until he walked down a dirt road, past toppled pine trees splattered with pink insulation from the homes that once stood there, that he understood the full picture.

“You can not fully appreciate what has happened here without walking through the debris, seeing photographs, seeing shoes, the small items that people are finding,” the Alabama Democrat said Thursday. “The devastation is just absolutely ... it will take your breath away.”

Jones, who came to the area a day after Gov. Kay Ivey toured the destruction and a day before President Donald Trump arrives, noted that the loss of property and life was an “all too familiar scene here in Alabama.”

“Whether it’s tornadoes or floods or hurricanes, we seem to have more than our share sometimes,” he said.

But Jones, who met with family members sifting through debris and shook hands with volunteers from disaster relief groups helping in the area, insisted the state would recover.

“One thing is clear,” he said at a press conference after touring the damage for more than hour. “We’re not going to let this get us this down. No matter how bad, no matter how tragic ... we will rebound, we will rebuild.”

The National Weather Service said Thursday that it believes 30 tornadoes touched down in the South, including 12 in Alabama. The line of tornadoes were on the ground for 70 miles and marked the worst March tornado since 1932 in terms of fatalities.

The emergency alert system has been criticized for not giving advance notice, but Jones pleaded with people to heed the warning signs, noting that there are traditionally more hurricanes in April.

He noted that it’s “human nature” to downplay weather alerts because they rarely result in a tragedy. But, he implored, “Don’t take it for granted.”

One problem in rural areas has been a lack of suitable shelters and Jones later met with local officials to discuss various issues raised by the storm.

Meanwhile, county officials said they’ve been overwhelmed by offers of help, but urged people who have been donating used clothes to instead hold a yard sale and donate the profit to tornado relief efforts organized by the Red Cross, Salvation Army or the United Way of Lee County.

And Alabama Emergency Management Agency Director Brian Hastings noted that officials will need to balance giving access to the hard-hit area, which is along narrow roads.

“Once you clog up the roads, it’s hard to get disaster trucks in,” he said.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said his agency had some reports of suspected looting but had made no arrests. He had a message for any potential mischief makers.

“If they have an inkling of coming to Lee County and have evil intent, be forewarned, they will go to jail,” he said.

This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 3:15 PM.