Cleaning Up and Starting Over After a Tornado

Watco team members take care of each other. And while Operations Supervisor Blake Allen has always taken this to heart, he’s never been on the receiving end. That is until this spring, when an EF4 tornado touched down and caused massive damage to parts of Amory, Mississippi, including his home.

“I’ve never experienced anything quite like it,” Allen said. “The only part of the house that wasn’t damaged was the master closet where my wife, kids, and I took shelter.”

When clean-up efforts started, many team members split their time making repairs at the Port of Amory and Allen’s house. The damage to the port was minor, resulting in a temporary power loss and damaged siding. At Allen’s house, they helped tarp his roof, remove three downed trees, and contributed to other relief efforts.

The team included an out-of-town visitor, SVP of Operations Jason Ford. Terminal Manager Wayne Childers said: “Jason made the three-hour trip to check on the team at the port. Then he went to Blake’s house. He toured the damage with Blake and helped clear brush.”

The damage to Allen’s home made it unlivable. The family stayed with relatives immediately following the tornado. Once teammate Nathan Kuykendall discovered that his church’s parsonage was vacant, he connected Allen to the church he attends. The Allens received permission to move in and have been there since.

Help continued to trickle in after three Watco terminals in the neighboring state of Alabama heard what happened. They joined together to raise money for the family, which was later used by Allen to buy cleaning supplies, meals, and new kids’ clothes to replace what was ruined by the tornado. Allen said: “When we needed it the most, Watco was

For the last seven months, Allen has spent nights and weekends reconstructing his home. He’s done the majority of the work himself, including framing and electrical. Later this fall, the family plans to return home.

“It’s certainly taken a lot of blood, sweat, and tears,” Allen said. “It’s practically a brand new house.”