Volunteers work to restore Paulding County after tornado

PAULDING COUNTY, Ga.,None — An army of volunteers worked all day Saturday to clean up parts of Paulding County ravaged by last week's tornadoes.

Channel 2's Carl Willis stopped by the Paulding airport, where tornadoes did about $5 million worth of damage.  Nearby, volunteers teamed up to help homeowners get their lives back to normal.

Volunteers spent the weekend removing debris from along the 29-mile path of destruction created by the treacherous storms.  Church members were among the many people who helped residents like Paul Truitt clear limbs with wheelbarrows, shovels and chainsaws.

"It's amazing," Truitt told Willis.  "You don't realize how many good Christian people there are in the world.  At times like this, it brings everybody together.  It amazes me."

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Greg Garner and volunteers from West Ridge Church focused on Thorn Thickett Way, one of the areas with the most damage.

"We're just here to love on the people and help them in their time of need," Garner said.  "Just as part of the community, we feel like it's part of out responsibility."

In total, volunteers helped homeowners in 19 hot spots that were hardest hit, including parts of Olivet Road in Dallas and Wayside Lane near Poole Elementary.

"At some point, the insurance companies will take over.  There will be some construction.  There will be some building that will go on, but there's a lot of stuff," Garner said.  "There are a lot of other needs that need to be met."

"These people are working their tails off just to be able to help someone," Truitt said.  "You can't ask for any more than that."

The Paulding County clean-up will continue throughout the week.

WSBTV