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We’d circle over one particularly bad area and I’d think to myself,


“Man, I hope everybody got out of that place before the tornado hit!” But we know that many people did not; over 230 of them perished in Alabama alone. In a tornado like this, hiding in a bathtub or an interior room would not have saved you. Not even in an apartment building. The only way would be to get out of the path. Fast. The things we witnessed were not all bad.


In fact, it was heartening


to see so many Red Cross tents quickly set up, and so many churches that had become shelters and central distribution areas for emergency supplies and food. As we on the Gulf Coast experienced first-hand with 2004’s Hurricane Ivan, area churches have really stepped in to help the commu- nities in Alabama. And some of these churches we saw had tarps - the infamous “blue roofs” - themselves We could not believe the number of power company trucks.


They


had come from all over the south. Everywhere we looked, men were work- ing hard to get the power lines back up and electricity flowing to those without it. The people of Alabama have tremendous spirit.


They’re strong, kind, and community-minded. important, and will continue to be as the state rebuilds.


These qualities have suddenly become extra- The houses are


easy. The shattered lives are going to be tougher to repair. Watching from 500 feet above, I got a bird’s eye view of the awesome challenge that lies ahead.


"Bob Barbanes has been flying airplanes for fun since 1973, and helicopters for money in various capacities since 1982. He currently lives in Pensacola, Florida."


19 ROTORCRAFTPRO.COM


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