For information on volunteering or contributing, contact the American Red Cross at (513) 579-3000.
By Rick McCrabb
Columnist
OXFORD — Terri Davis saw what appeared to be a young boy — maybe around 11 years old — wandering the streets of Bratt, Ala.
He was dirty, confused.
Davis, a registered nurse from Oxford, is in the rural areas of Alabama as part of an American Red Cross rescue effort to provide medical assistance to the residents impacted by last week’s tornadoes that ravaged the South, killing 329 people in seven states.
The storms left an uncertain number of people missing or unaccounted for when entire communities were ripped from their foundations and thrown across hollows and hills.
On her first day in Alabama, Davis pulled her vehicle over and asked the youngster the whereabouts of his parents. She hoped he’d say they were safe at home, at work, or even at the store.
Nothing could prepare her for his answer: “They’re up there in the trees.”
Meanwhile, back here, we’re complaining about flooded basements, cutting our grass when it’s wet, or cancelling another tee time because the golf course is unplayable.
For the next three weeks, longer if needed, Davis has taken a leave of absence from the pediatricians office of her husband, Dr. Jim Davis. The office serves some of the underprivileged in the area and she said this is a busy season in the medical profession. Her absence has put a strain on others in the office.
Still, she’s doing what she believes in right.
Since Dr. Jim Davis and his wife have jobs, a home still on its foundation, and four healthy children, Terri Davis, 53, wanted to “pay it forward” in hopes if her family’s life was twisted by a tornado, someone would lend them a hand.
So every morning, Davis loads up her vehicle with medical supplies and drives through the rural areas in Alabama. She was surprised at first, by what she called the “southern hospitality” of the residents, and the networks they had established to help each other.
“It’s the most amazing thing to see,” she said.
Davis remembers an elderly man who had lost everything in the tornado. He didn’t have any transportation, so he asked Davis if she’d drop off his $10 donation to the American Red Cross.
“People who have nothing are still giving,” she said.
She said some residents have told her they’re too uncomfortable to leave their homes. They don’t want vandals stealing whatever the tornados left behind.
The unpredictability of the tornadoes has amazed her. There are pockets of homes that suffered only minor damage, while just down the street, complete neighborhoods are in shambles.
When she drove through another small town, Davis said the local bank was gone, except for the vault that was being guarded by bank security.
“Incredible,” she said. “No rhyme or reason.”
Davis, an avid photographer, has tried to capture the devastation through her lens. But she was at a loss for words when asked to describe the scene.
“I’m really not sure what to say,” she said. A few seconds later, she added: “It’s like you are walking through London or France after World War II. It was like a bomb went off. It’s a war zone.”
Davis, a nurse with more than 30 years experience, has watched a tornado devastate her brother’s family in Indiana.
“He lost everything that he had and the Red Cross helped them and so I want to give back,” she said. “For me, this is a privilege. This is my way of serving my country.”
Contact this columnist at (513) 705-2842 or rmccrabb@coxohio.com.