The group of men sat behind Norman Bennett’s new trailer, joking and laughing. Around them, their neighborhood had mostly been put back together after a tornado rocked the Flatwood community in November 2022.
Bennett sat surveying his property, looking at the trees still broken from the storm.
“When the trees, and the leaves, and the grass get to growing, it’ll beautify everything,” Bennett said. “It’ll get back looking all right. … You won’t even see them, it will be so green and pretty.”
Bennett moved into his mobile home two months ago. His home is one of six that the River Region United Way replaced, Pastor Marcus Boyd said. Boyd has led the charge to get everyone back with a roof over their head.
The River Region United Way collected money from the people of Montgomery to buy the trailers. A community-driven effort got the families on their feet.
There are 48 homes in the community. Of those, 19 needed repairs or were destroyed, according to information from the River Region United Way. About 85% of the residents did not have insurance.