Bravery in the Midst of Sorrow: Alabama Boy Shows Signs of Courage

As Red Cross of WNC Staff and Volunteers returned from their deployments in Eastern North Carolina on Sunday, they wasted no time in making arrangements for yet another deployments to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where they will help with the disaster response to the recent tornadoes. Some of our staff and volunteers still remain in the eastern part of North Carolina and our thoughts also remain with them. But in light of the devastation in the Southeast, we all have on thought in in common: "When will it end?" It seems that the South has been all but destroyed by one deadly storm after another. We, each and every one of us in WNC, long to lend a hand to a neighbor, we hope for time for our neighbors to heal, we wait for good news.

In the midst of our hoping and waiting comes a story of bravery from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, written by Danelle Schlegelmilch, a Red Cross worker who was deployed to Alabama to help with tornado relief.

Kevonte Jackson, D’Monte and Kedavian Key take a break in the Red Cross shelter to share their amazing story of surviving the ride of their lives in a tornado.

Today I met the most courageous little boy I might ever meet in my life at a Red Cross shelter in Tuscaloosa, Ala. D’Monte Key is like any other 8-year-old boy; rambunctious, spunky and full of energy.

As he zipped passed me today in his tank top and flip-flops I didn’t notice anything unusual about him. It was only when he slowed down that I noticed little D’Monte was covered in stitches.

The same boy who was doing cartwheels through the aisles at the shelter today is very lucky to be alive. Just three days ago D’Monte’s world was literally turned upside down when a tornado sucked up his home and family. D’Monte and his family were running to the bathroom to take cover from the storm when their home started to shake off of its foundation and took off.

“The whole house went up in the air and we went up with it,” Nicco Key, D’Montes mother, said. “We were all flying around in different rooms, going up and down all over the place. I kept spinning round and hitting the walls.”

“I saw D’monte and he was going up higher into the tornado so I grabbed him and pulled him back down. The whole time I kept praying ‘Lord, take care of us’ over and over again. It felt like the blink of an eye, like a dream, and it was gone in 30 seconds.”

When asked what it felt like to be in the middle of a tornado, D’monte simply replied, “Bad…real bad.” His 7-year-old brother Kedavian added, “I saw the tornado. We were inside it. I looked up and I saw my brother was in the sky. De’monte was in the sky.”

When the home finally dropped from the sky it landed about 20 feet down the road and D’monte, his two brothers, mother and her boyfriend landed on the street below all with various injuries. The house destroyed along with their vehicles. D’monte was knocked unconscious and the most seriously injured.

His 13-year-old brother, Kevonte, threw D’Monte, who was covered with blood, over his own ripped-up back, and ran him down the street, through rubble and live wires, to the hospital. Miraculously, they all survived. D’Monte with dozens of stitches all over his face and body.

“I just thank God I’m still here and my family is all safe,” Nicco said. “The tornado didn’t touch the house next to mine, but it moved ours off the ground. But we made it and we are blessed for that.”

“I thank God for the Red Cross,” she added. “It has been great staying here. Everyone is so nice and we are treated right. It is also good to be able to talk to others about what happened to us. That really helps us cope.”

Red Cross Sends Help after Deadly Tornadoes Blast through the South

The American Red Cross is helping thousands of people after Wednesday and Thursday's deadly tornadoes destroyed neighborhoods throughout the southern region of the country.

Hardest hit was Alabama, where Governor Robert Bentley has activated National Guard troops to help in the devastated areas. The Red Cross has sent disaster workers, materials, and equipment into the state. Nearly 40 emergency response vehicles are on the way, along with 25,000 ready-to-eat meals. Red Cross Blood Services is moving hundreds of blood products into the area and Red Cross nurses and mental health works are being deployed to help people cope with the aftermath of this disaster.

More than 1,600 people sought refuge in 65 Red Cross shelters Wednesday night as the storms forced them from their homes. Red Cross shelters are open in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, Arkansas, North Carolina and Texas.

The American Red Cross of Western North Carolina has deployed disaster volunteers to Madison County and emergency response vehicles and staff to eastern North Carolina to respond to severe wind damage. The region has also deployed 40 Emergency Response Vehicles, $25,000 meals and several hundred units of blood to Alabama, the state that's been hit the hardest by spring storms and floods.

More than half of the country has been affected by this continuous band of damaging weather, disrupting people’s lives from North Dakota to the East Coast. In the last several weeks, Red Cross disaster workers have provided thousands of overnight stays in shelters, distributed thousands of clean-up and comfort kits and served hundreds of thousands of meals and snacks.

Those who want to help the people affected by these disasters, as well as countless crises at home and around the world, can make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Their gift will enable the Red Cross to prepare for and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other disaster assistance. Contributions may be sent to the American Red Cross at 100 Edgewood Road, Asheville, NC 28804 or may be made online at www.redcrosswnc.org. The American Red Cross has also set up a special texting campaign for the Southern storms, which can be made by texting REDCROSS to 90999. A $10 charge will be added to the donor’s phone bill.

“The American Red Cross is making sure people have a safe place to stay and food to eat. We will be there as long as needed as families struggle to get through this terrible tragedy.” said Patrick Fitzsimmons, Regional Executive Direction of the Western North Carolina Red Cross. “We are working in communities across a large part of the country helping people affected by these storms.”