Leah Gernetzke | Posted on June 2, 2011 |

The Fuller Center announces plan to rebuild tornado-ravished town in Alabama

The Fuller Center for Housing has officially announced its commitment to rebuilding McDonald Chapel, a small town just outside of Birmingham, Ala. that was devastated by an April tornado.

“There are approximately a hundred houses that are either gone or damaged,” David Snell, president of The Fuller Center, said, shortly after returning from a visit to McDonald Chapel. “Rebuilding or repairing these is something we can do.”

Though The Fuller Center will begin recovery efforts by rebuilding approximately six homes, the scope of the effort will likely extend much further in the future.

“I see this as another Allendale, where we can go in and rebuild the community,” Snell said, referring to the successful building project in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The Fuller Center will work directly with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship church and Shade’s Crest Baptist church, two of their partnering churches in the area. Volunteers of America is also expected to play a major role in the recovery process.

Additionally, about 25-30 other churches in the Birmingham area have committed to helping with the efforts.

“It will very much be a local project,” Snell said.

Currently, the town is working on demolition and on cleaning up the damage, which will set the stage for The Fuller Center’s impending rebuilding project.

Snell will visit McDonald Chapel again next week to further develop the recovery plans.

“Our next step is to have a meeting with families and talk about what we do, who we are, and how we can help,” he said. “We will work with families who have damaged homes, who don’t have the resources to repair it, and don’t have adequate insurance.”