Northport Mayor Surveys Sawyerville Tornado Damage, Begins Organizing Donation Drive
Northport Mayor Bobby Herndon was in neighboring Hale County Friday morning to survey the damage there after a tornado tore through the rural town Thursday afternoon.
Herndon has collected and hand-delivered supplies to several disaster zones in the wake of tornadoes and other severe weather events in the last several years and said he plans to do so again now.
Herndon, who was mayor of Northport when an EF-4 tornado devastated Tuscaloosa County in April 2011, said he has never forgotten how people came from all over the country to help the area rebuild in its aftermath. Since then, he has tried to return that kindness by delivering dozens of truckloads of supplies to disaster zones around the Southeast.
"They've got plenty of food, but they're needing food, they're needing household supplies, they're needing flashlights and lights, tools, batteries, tarps," Herndon said in a video shot in Hale County Friday. "They said don't be bringing any used clothes or anything like that."
As usual, Herndon will be collecting supplies at his surveying business at 2728 Lurleen B Wallace Boulevard in Northport. He said a trailer to fill will be on site by Saturday morning, and the mayor will deliver the first round of donated supplies Sunday.
"I'm activating everybody," Herndon said. "You know the drill, but no clothing. We need a lot of household supplies, tarps, hand tools, you know. You guys always show up, so we're going to start the collections -- just drop them off in the regular place. I appreciate you."
Because of the nearness of the affected areas, Herndon said he plans to make daily deliveries to Sawyerville to help the community recover from Thursday's storm.