Threat of storms has tornado victims bracing once again
DRESDEN, Tenn. — After going through a storm just three weeks ago, residents of Dresden and surrounding areas are bracing for more.
Residents shared that they are not sure what to do and how to prepare.
“We really ain’t got too much way to prepare because there’s no way we can do anything because they’ve got the roads blocked off everywhere you go. They’re blocking the roads to try to get the clean up crew as quick as they can. So whatever you’re trying to get to prepare for the next one, it’s hard to get to so it’s kind of like a hit and miss,” said Tina Jackson, who lives in Dresden.
Jackson and friends are gathering what is left of their home before it is officially demolished.
They say the home could collapse at any moment on its own.
They also say the worst part of trying to get things back to semi-normal is not having the support of the government.
“We haven’t got FEMA in here yet. They said they’re going to come through, but they haven’t declared it a disaster yet, and it’s worse than it actually looked right in the beginning. A lot of people are suffering over this,” Jackson said.
Jackson says she feels the government is taking its time due to there not being any declared deaths in the town, but she says it’s far worse with having every auto shop in the town destroyed.
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll be pushing [her car]. We’ll be doing it the Flintstones style,” Jackson said.
Kerry Killebrew has lived in Dresden for 51 years. He says this is his first time experiencing a storm.
Luckily his home was not damaged severely, but just across the street is a different story.
“I suppose tornadoes jump around a little bit. I don’t know. But you can see the devastation there and ours is about enough, but not near that, and I feel sorry for our neighbors. We were very good friends, all of us neighbors, so it’s tough on those folks,” Killebrew said.
Killebrew says now that he’s hearing of another possible storm, he’s hoping it will be mild.
“It’s a scary thought, actually, but hopefully that won’t happen here,” he said. “It’s a possibility of course, but we certainly hope not because it’s going to take enough time to recover for everybody here. It’s going to take a long time.”
You can stay up-to-date on the latest weather updates using our WBBJ Storm Team 7 Weather app.
