Community comes together to help each other recover from storm

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - The devastation is clear after a destructive day Monday. Now comes the clean-up.

One Chesterfield neighborhood is taking a “village” approach, turning a disaster into an opportunity to pick up a saw or a limb for themselves and their neighbors as they collectively pick up their spirits.

"Everybody was putting forward what they have,” resident Douglas Seymour said. “Trucks, chainsaws, muscle, sweat.”

On Terry Bluff Drive, it wasn’t just neighbors helping neighbors. Others from outside the neighborhood came to help, including workers from a nearby Chick-fil-A.

“I’d say about 40 or 50 people, multiple truckloads,” Seymour said.

Seymour and Joanna Shelton said they were both at work when the tornado twisted through. They had to wait hours to get to their home because trees were blocking the roadway.

“I was more anxious, I guess,” Shelton said. “I wanted to see how our place was because there were trees everywhere.”

When they did get home, they saw a tree had fallen in their yard nearly missing their home.

“I mean we were so lucky,” Shelton said. “It landed right in front of the porch.”

They were able to clean up for the most part and they say the sense of togetherness has been inspiring.

“People were going door to door asking if anyone needed help,” Shelton said. “Do you need a thing? Are you hungry?”

Returning to normal will take some time, but not as long as it could if everyone was left to fend for themselves.

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