By now, everyone with a television has seen the devastating effects Hurricane Ivan had on the southeast. Most of what was shown on the evening news was physical damage from the hurricane; the Rev. Heather Klason saw the human dimension to these stories. “People have lost their homes or have no power and can’t keep food,” Klason said. “For many people, they have lost their jobs because their workplace is destroyed or (they) cannot get to their job sites.” Klason and her husband Gary are back in Kimball after spending 10 days providing relief with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They were part of an estimated 2,300 volunteers from 48 states who have been trained by FEMA for disaster response. “Some people were retired, some were first-responders in their communities, some were firefighters,” Klasson said. “And there were some who have never worked a disaster before.” Klason described the physical damage as looking like a bomb had destroyed the buildings. Debris appeared to be everywhere for blocks. But throughout all the chaos, Klason said, the people in Alabama never once forgot their southern hospitality. “What wonderful people they are,” Klason added. “In midst of what was going (on) in their lives, they were still very hospitable. They still had their politeness and courtesy.”
