The FEMA trucks are long gone, the emergency shelters disbanded – even the Walker County government pro-nounced its cleanup efforts complete some three months ago. Nonetheless, for many victims of the devastating April 27 tornado, the road to recovering and some semblance of normalcy is far from over.

That’s where volunteers like Tracy Long come in. She is a central member of Walker County Citizens Organized Against Disaster, or COAD. The inter-faith group formed after the tornado’s wake, when it became apparent that there was still a great need for assistance among county citizens.

The goals of the organization, Long said, are two-fold: first, to provide long-term disaster recovery to those in need, and second, to help residents become more prepared for the next disastrous event.

“I was told it’s not ‘if’ something like this happens again, but ‘when,’” she said.

In addition to advising citizens to make family emergency plans and keep disaster stashes ready – plenty of bot-tled water and non-perishable food – COAD helps identify Walker County citizens who have exhausted their re-sources and aid attempting to repair tornado damage, and are still in need.

Click here to continue reading.