Rome Comes Through With Disaster Aid For Residents In Cordova, AL

Rome, NY (WIBX) - After devastating tornadoes hit Cordova Alabama in May, a former resident of the area went to work to help with disaster relief.Steve Reed, Information Director at the Airforce Research Laboratory at Griffiss Technology Park, lives in Rome these days but says he wanted to help the folks still recovering from the aftermath of the tornadoes.

Reed said, "I wanted to make sure that they got supported and got the opportunity to get some relief. I know there's a number of elderly people that live there, a lot of young people, a lot of the industries are closed, it's a commuter community and so I just want to make sure that they got some of the support that maybe the larger towns like Birmingham and Tuscaloosa were getting."

Reed says thanks to the support of Rome Mayor James Brown, an aid truck loaded with supplies, is leaving Rome City Hall today for the two day trip to Cordova. Residents there are getting items ranging from water, clothing, and diapers, which were donated by local residents and businesses. Mayor Brown said, "It's a smaller municipality--smaller than we are--and this is always been the way this region, this community's been."

Brown said the City of Rome also provided aid to residents in Biloxi, Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina hit the region several years ago causing extensive damage. "We filled up two full tractor trailers and send them down to Biloxi--to Mayor A.J. Holloway--I just think it's a sense of comittment and giving, and that's something that this city and this region is known for," he said. Brown added that M & L Trucking Services, Inc., is assisting the disaster aid effort by paying for the transportation costs.