Rebuilding Hope Ministry volunteers Steve Reed, Kevin Reed and Jim Boyd, speak to JoJo Macatiag about rebuilding his stepfathe’rs home at the intersection of Apison Pike and Clonts Road early Thursday morning. Apison residents are beginning the rebuilding process a month after deadly tornadoes ripped through the tri-state area.
Staff Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free PressAPISON CENTERHours of operation for the Apison Baptist Church Disaster Relief Center at 11127 Old East Brainerd Road are winding down and the center will close June 18.Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday until Tuesday.Starting June 2, hours are 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday.The recovery center provides clothing, nonperishable food, cleaning supplies and personal items for tornado victims.Source: Hamilton County Emergency ManagementFEMA AWARDS(As of Wednesday)• Alabama – Statewide: 76,391 applicants, almost $43.6 million awardedJackson County – 2,236 applicants, nearly $1.6 million awardedDeKalb County – 2,564 applicants, $2.65 million awardedCherokee County – 670 applicants, $334,000 awarded• Georgia – Statewide: 1,066 applicants, nearly $7 million awardedCatoosa County – 902 applicants, $636,284 awardedDade County – 782 applicants, $711,522 awardedGordon County – 27 applicants, $12,030 awardedWalker County – 526 applicants, $252,209 awarded• Tennessee – Statewide: 9,000 applicants, $6 million awardedBledsoe County – 90 applicants, $145,499 awardedBradley County – 1,383 applicants, $705,674 awardedHamilton County – 1,937 applicants, $970,671 awardedMcMinn County – 123 applicants, $93,736 awardedRhea County – 54 applicants, $132,308 awardedSource: Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama emergency management agencies
For Willie and Marvin Quinn, time seemed to freeze one month ago today when a tornado brought their Apison home down around them as they huddled in a bathroom and prayed just to live.
“Seems like it was just a few days ago,” Quinn said.
But for Jojo Macatiag, getting the neighborhood he grew up in back to some semblance of order is taking an excruciatingly long time.
Macatiag is a volunteer fireman who last month began helping his uninsured stepfather dig out at the corner of Apison Pike and Clonts Road.