If you happen to be in the vicinity of Cordova, Alabama head on over and support the residents who want access to the FEMA trailers being offered to them. The Mayor will not support them and is enforcing an ordinance that doesn't allow single wide trailers in the town.
CORDOVA, Ala. - A controversial city ordinance in the Walker County town of Cordova is heating up. The law bans manufactured homes, for certain parts of the area, including FEMA trailers that some displaced residents want to use for housing.
Cordova resident, Danny Banks, mobile home was destroyed by twisters April 27. Since then Banks has been sleeping inside a tent, wondering like so many others why FEMA trailers haven't been allowed in town?
"It ain't right for them to sit there and tell us that we can't bring a home in here when we've lived here all of our lives. We lost everything we had. I mean everything," Banks said.
Banks says he's on a fixed income and would rather have a temporary FEMA shelter, instead of stay in a motel or with friends. However, a zoning ordinance is keeping manufactured homes, out of certain areas of Cordova.
"All we did was modify a 1957 ordinance that was never enforced and we feel like were doing what's best for the town," Cordova Mayor, Jack Scott said.
Some say there's a double standard in town when mobile homes are being used to house the police department and city hall.
“Because they say it’s going to drive down property values. I mean come on. What's the difference between him and the city? It doesn't … hold any water you know," Cordova resident, Tommy Pugh said.
Mayor Scott says he's offered housing solutions to homeless residents identifying, places where people can rent or buy. But FEMA trailers aren't apart of that.
You can get more insight here as to the mentality of this Mayor.
Plenty of single-wides in Cordova - just not for storm survivors
But keep the story of Jacqueline Doss in mind as you read or watch these stories!
This is the story, one of many, of a survivor from the two tornado's that hit the town of Cordova. Keep in mind the Mayor this person speaks of is the same Mayor that will not let the residents that lost everything use the FEMA trailers.
Jacqueline Doss
This is my story…..
My family and I live in Cordova. My really good friend Anett Singelton and her son Madison Phillips15 came to our house after the first tornado. She told me that the church turned her and Madison away that morning. They were at our house until about 3:30 pm, we were listening to a battery powered radio. The people we were listening to said the storms were over so Anett wanted to go home to check on her house and everything. Anett being who she was, very head strong stubburn wouldnt stay at our house after we begged them to stay. Our two oldest boys Jonathan Doss 12 and Justin Doss 10 were very good friends with Madison they were like brothers. They wanted to go with them and so we let them go. Well it was getting later and I tried calling her several times and no answer. We didn’t have good signal so I left to get signal and I went back home and my husband had left. I had three of our children with me and I tried to get into town where our boys were and they wouldn’t let me in, it was about 6:30 pm. The second tornado came through about 6:00 pm. I went back home and my husband still wasn’t home so I was even more worried. My friend texted me and asked if I had heared that Madison had died in the second tornado. I said no that can’t be true my boys are with them. I got even more worried so I got a neighbor to babysit the other kids so I could go look. I got to the roadblock they wouldn’t let me drive through, so I parked and ran from Pinsgah Hwy into town. I got to the top of the hill where the Methodist church was and the yellow house that was beside the laudrymatt was gone that was where my kids and friends were, that was Anetts house. I started crying and panicking and if you know me I don’t cry or panick. I went down the hill and found Dean Harbison and gave him my boys, my husbands, Anett’s and Madison’s discriptions and they told me I would have to go home and wait. I went home and not long after I got home Kenneth Bobo, the cheif of Cordova police dept. came and told me my boys died and Anett had died but madison was in the hospital. I went with him and identified their bodies it was very hard. I finally found my husband and he was okay thank the good lord. We went and visited Madison in the hospital he didn’t know about the boys and we had to tell him. He told us that church wouldn’t let them in and that it was a woman. After all of this we had heared that it was the mayor and his daughter that had turned them away. As far as we are concerned they will get what they deserve we are not finished. My husband told me he wants me to run for mayor I could do the job well. I think the mayor hasn’t ever been for the city he has only been there for himself. He has always gotten the city workers to work on his yard and I heared him personally talk about that. If it is true that he and his daughter turned my children and friends away their deaths are on their hands and they will pay dearly.
There is an excellent Facebook page if you want to see what the local people are saying and doing about this cad.
http://www.facebook.com/...