Resilience, compassion pushed town after tornado
When a tornado a mile-and-a-half wide tears through a town the size of Phil Campbell, it’s only natural to wonder when – or if – the survivors can muster the strength to rebuild and move forward.
The storms that swept through on April 27, 2011, left behind a trail of absolute devastation while claiming the lives of 21 Phil Campbell residents in the process.
Residents became victims and homes were destroyed while Phil Campbell High School – the pride and joy of the community – was leveled, and the town became a shadow of what it once was.
But what couldn’t be torn apart by Mother Nature was the spirit and resilience of the Phil Campbell residents in the days, months and years following that fateful day.
Fifteen years after the storms, reminders of the destruction remain as portions of the town still resemble something out of a war zone.
However, the progress the town has made during that time is nothing short of remarkable and inspiring.
Phil Campbell High School has been rebuilt, and its student population continues to increase year over year.
Homes continue to pop up throughout the town and slowly, but surely, the town is getting back to the way it was before April 27, 2011 – or at least as close as it can get.
When tragedies like the April 27, 2011, storms occur, towns often need something to rally around in order to pull them through the other side.
As former Phil Campbell Elementary School Principal Jackie Ergle put it, the school system brought people together when it was needed the most.
“People take pride in these schools,” Ergle told the Franklin County Times. “Whether it’s our football, baseball, basketball teams or whatever it is, people love and support these kids and these schools. I think that was something for the town to really come together and support even in those dark times.”
The resilience of the townspeople was evident in the words of every individual we talked to.
Vicki Galloway, who lost a brother, a sister and her mother, said the tornado really showed how people can come tighter and help out when it’s needed.
“There has been just an overwhelming sense of family and community over these past 15 years and that’s helped so much,” she said. We’re all pulling together the way everyone did right after the tornado went through It’s really heartwarming to see that.”
Eddie Marbutt and his wife, Michelle, talked proudly about the unified response of Phil Campbell residents.
“As terrible as it was, everybody kind of got closer during that time,” Michelle said of the aftermath of the tornado. “Everybody was helping each other – food, support, whatever anybody needed.”
“I thought things could never be the same again,” she added. “But I feel like it made the community stronger. People worked together to rebuild things” to make them better than before.
Rodney Smith lost his home and most personal items in the storm. Five of his neighbors did not survive. And yet what he remembers vividly is the willingness of everyone to help others in need. Schools opened their gymnasiums to store supplies. Volunteers helped clear debris.
“We didn’t have anything,” Smith said, “but people helped.”
Were it not for that pride and determination of the people of Phil Campbell, who knows if the town would have recovered or simply faded away little by little.
The memories and legacies of the 21 Phil Campbell souls lost in the storms will live on forever and in large part thanks to the determination of the survivors who managed to pick up the pieces and push the town forward.
