North Smithfield tornado relief

I went on another tornado relief jaunt yesterday. A group, through Hands on Birmingham, went to North Smithfield (Birmingham) and helped remove some downed trees.

At the first stop we cut up and removed most of two huge oak trees, a hackberry, and a Bradford pear that they had crushed. One of the oaks had mistletoe growing in it, and the base of the mistletoe was at least four inches in diameter. That's a big mistletoe. I wish I had taken a picture of the parasite, but I didn't.

But I did get a picture of my friend Wayne, who I had not seen since I sold my practice, in action with the chainsaw. Funny how you run into people you know when out doing volunteer work.


Look at that guy carrying that huge section by himself. We had some strong guys out there, but there were plenty of strong women too.

Here's another shot of a different saw operator. You can really see that it was a huge tree.

Our next stop, after being fed at the fire station by the Red Cross, was on another street, where a large pine tree had fallen.


Here the chain saw guys went to work like a team of beavers.



There is nothing too exciting about this blog post. It's just here to get you interested in joining up with a group of folks and helping the community. Hands on Birmingham is the place to do it; go to that web site and click in disaster relief. You will find several opportunities. Check late in the day, each day, because new opportunities are added daily. And all of the volunteer work does not involve physical labor; answering phones and helping residents who come to the resource centers are other ways you can contribute.

My next day to volunteer will be Tuesday. So to join up with whatever group I will in, check the web site Monday. If there is a Concord group, I will probably be in that one. Otherwise, who knows. Email me to find out.