By Catherine Welch
Riegelwood, NC – The twister came with little warning on the morning of November 16th, cutting a path of destruction a half-mile wide and a mile long.
It ran right down the middle of Old Farms Estate Mobile Home Park. And by the end of the day, the tornado had taken eight lives, two of them children.
The tornado also destroyed scores of mobile homes and several houses.
Since then there has been an outpouring from across the country and around the region, especially during the holiday season, says Sammy Jacobs, chairman of the Columbus County Commissioners.
You know you think it was over it but ah people call and they want to know how could they make contributions to make someone whole, and how they could make their Christmas better and their lives better. And I'm getting that from around the country and around the state.
Jacobs says it will be a while before Reiglewood residents left homeless by the tornado start seeing construction. And says the county is helping those residents work through the paperwork.