In the wake of a catastrophic flood that took the lives of 18 people, the Team is working alongside the Tennessee Rangers in Waverly, TN with our heavy equipment to help look for those who are missing, clear debris and help families find their belongings. It’s a small enough community where everyone knows each other and the loss of neighbors and loved ones is truly devastating.

Since January we’ve been helping in Alabama, first with hurricane cleanup and then in the aftermath of multiple tornadoes that touched down in Birmingham and surrounding communities. It’s meaningful to be here and help these tight-knit communities and to hear incredible stories of neighbors rescuing one another from the rubble.

The amount of widespread damage caused by Hurricane Laura is hard to put into words. You could drive around for days and still not be able to see all homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure that has been destroyed. We’ve been helping in Lake Charles, Louisiana and have found the people here are hardworking and truly care about each other.

In August we were lending a hand with the cleanup near Cedar Rapids, Iowa where a violent, fast-moving thunderstorm complex known as Derecho, tore a 700-mile path from Nebraska to Indiana, destroying over 10 million acres of crops and crippling many small family farms. Using our Caterpillar equipment, we cleared trees and barns that had blown over helping as many farmers as we could.

More than 100 tornadoes struck the southeast on Easter weekend. The loss of life was staggering and volunteers will be sparse due to COVID19. We are doing our part to help during what’s looking like a very active 2020 tornado season.

Six tornadoes engulfed central Tennessee injuring hundreds and taking 24 lives. We helped many families who lost everything. When asked how they are coping with the loss they say, “we have family, old friends and new friends by our side, we’re not alone and we’ll make it through”.