Glade Spring, VA EF3 Tornado – April 28, 2011

The tornado struck in the dead of night, and initial cleanup and assessment were limited. Communication was challenging as a nearby Verizon tower had been downed, bringing cell service to a halt. Power was out across the entire area.

The light of day brought forth the solemn picture of devastation. These hard-hit communities in Southwest Virginia were faced with a tremendous recovery effort, and they got to work immediately.

The Petro Shop was open 12 hours after the tornado hit. They ran on generator power, and crews worked to repair the surrounding damage. A few hours later, a disaster relief kitchen coordinated by Patrick Johnson, a volunteer coordinator with the Southern Baptist Convention’s disaster relief services, was set up at the shop. They served 500 meals. The Wendy’s set up portable grills in their parking lot and served hamburgers to the community.

Roger Cullip was the Emory & Henry College campus safety officer. He lived in Glade Spring which is less than four miles from the school. He saw tremendous damage around his hometown, but the campus had not been hit. He decided to set up a shelter at the college’s King Center Gymnasium. Other shelters, including one set up by the Red Cross, began to open around the area.

A group of about 50 Emory & Henry students shuttled into Glade Spring to see how they could help with cleanup. From the April 29, 2011 edition of the Bristol Herald Courier, “There was one building, we picked up walls and doors and glass,” said Ryan Stone, a 22-year-old student from Rocky Mount, VA. “The one guy was almost actually in tears because a bunch of college kids had come down at 9:30 in the morning to come help him do this. And we had no rhyme or reason – we didn’t know who he was. We just came down.”

The Landmark Baptist Church’s fellowship hall had limited damage, and they held services the following Sunday. The Church of God also had a Sunday service, but it had to be in a neighboring church’s basement. Pastor James Walls was interviewed for the Bristol Herald Courier six years after the event. He reflected on that first church service. “It was a very difficult time because a lot of decisions had to be made immediately and people in the community were in such distress. I just thank God for all the people that pitched in and helped the others in the community.”

In the days following the tornado, Governor Bob McDonnell applied for federal aid. His request was denied. Per an article in the Bristol Herald Courier on May 8, 2011, the denial occurred “before FEMA officials even conducted an inventory of the damage.” FEMA informed the governor that “the magnitude of damage in Washington County was not severe enough to qualify for federal assistance.” A few days after the decision, a small group of residents protested the decision. “I’ve been there, I’ve seen it, and it’s incredible to think they’d deny it,” said demonstration organizer Reva Spry of Abingdon in an article for the Roanoke Times. Per Bob Spieldenner, the director of public affairs for the Virginia Department of Emergency Services, “Even if we had gotten the assistance, it would’ve taken community help,” he said. “It’s going to go back to the community and the volunteers working together to rebuild. [Federal aid] would have helped a little bit, but that work [volunteer efforts] is going to go on.” (Bristol Herald Courier, May 8, 2011).

And they did go on. Help continued to pour in weeks after the tornado. On a Saturday in mid-May, more than 100 members of the U.S. Army Reserves’ 760th Engineer Corps helped residents with clean-up. WTRM-FM radio personality Brian Scott drove 300 miles from Winchester, VA, to bring donations from listeners. Per an article n the Daily Press, he had “a truck filled with 10,000 pounds of food, bottled water, paper supplies and other items.”

Governor Bob McDonnell set up a state disaster relief fund. The United Way of Russell and Washington Counties donated $100,000 to that fund. They worked with area businesses and raised close to $1 million to help those who had little to no insurance recover. Travis Station, the CEO of the area’s United Way, stated in an article on livability.com, “We’ve been able to assist 150 homeowners rebuild, and we’ve worked with more than 2,000 volunteers who have helped replace roofs and reconstruct.”

The local grocery chain, Food City, set up a donation system in their stores. WCYB-TV in Bristol hosted a telethon that raised $250,000. The Gates Corporation, which was wrecked by the tornado, donated $100,000 for relief work. Sadly, the company announced in September of 2011 that they would not be staying in the Glade Spring area.

By July of 2011, The Utility Trailer Manufacturing Company had returned to pre-tornado production levels. The rebuilding of the Glade Spring Church of God began on top of the previous building’s foundation. 221 days after the destruction, a new church was constructed. They added a steeple, which they didn’t have before the disaster.

Rural areas of Smyth County that were damaged by the tornado were able to recover quickly. Within months, homes were speedily repaired or rebuilt. Clearing of trees in remote pasture areas continued a year later, but the Smyth County News & Messenger noted that “Tears and fears seem to have been replaced by peace.”