The 4 that hit Cordova on the 27th passed about a mile north of my house. I took the Xterra and the chainsaw, but mostly it was rural woods that got hit nearby, so I headed down to Pratt City where I heard it was real bad and volunteered to cut there. We were still clearing roads and freeing people from trees on houses there 2 days later. I never even was in the main damage path (no trees left to cut there), just around the perimeter where the trees all got laid over. I'll never forget this one house 2 days in had an oak that had totally destroyed the porch and you couldn't even see the front of the house for the limbs, and there was another on the back of the house. We cut our way in and found an elderly lady (75+) just sitting at her kitchen table drinking tea. She offered us some and she was so calm and collected. She said "I have a gas stove and the water was still running - I figured someone would get to me eventually." It was a humbling experience, all the way around. We'd start clearing the last tree blocking a road, and before we'd get done, a line of cars of folks who had been trapped further down the road would be on the other side. If you've never volunteered for storm cleanup, I highly recommend it as a weather follower. It will humble you before the power of what you are watching and in the power of people in ways nothing else will.
