By: Yvonne Dempsey
The end of December 2024 was eventful for Athens, Alabama. An EF-1 tornado brought devastation to our beautiful city. Lasting just under 5 minutes, the tornado unleashed its fury shortly after 11 p. m on Saturday, December 28, damaging or destroying buildings, uprooting trees, and destroying much along its path. Thankfully, no one was injured, but the storm’s impact on our historic Courthouse Square and the Alabama Veterans Museum was a sad ending for the year. But in the true spirit of small-town America, within minutes of the tornado leaving the area, people emerged and began the cleanup.
The new day dawning brought the extent of the damage to light. Around the Square, trees were down, some storefront windows were blown in, roofs ripped off or peeled back, water and wind damage to the contents of businesses. But in the strange manner of tornadoes, Christmas decorations and awnings in adjacent buildings were left unscathed.
Sadly, the Alabama Veterans Museum complex suffered damage. In the dark of night, it was hard to see just how much damage had been done, but the sight of the area in the daylight was shocking. Most noticeable at first glance, besides the large pieces of tin and debris everywhere, was the damage to the new military park which recently had been completed and was dedicated on November 2. It was heartbreaking to see what Mother Nature had done to our lovely park.
The helicopter that was poised over the south end of the park was blown off its pedestal, landed onto the neighbor’s driveway, and shattered; so it had to get moved. The fence was mangled and on the ground, the flagpoles are bent, some of the landscaping uprooted, and dirt and debris covering the ground. The monuments, benches, and missile launcher seem to be undamaged, just very dirty.
Unfortunately, the brick warehouse across the street upon which our mural was painted was completely destroyed. The depot building across the parking lot that had been our first museum had major roof damage and windows blown out.
Our current museum building did sustain damage, mostly confined to the event venue where the roof and south wall was damaged and the large roll-up door was blown down and crumpled. A temporary closure is in place and the area is secured. The military vehicles and the missiles in front of the building sustained some damage. The outer layers of the double-paned glass doors leading into the museum foyer were shattered but the inside layer of glass is unbroken. Thankfully, there is absolutely no damage to any of the contents and displays in the museum side of the building! The damage truly could have been so much worse.
We are thankful for all the offers to help clean up the debris, but the County and City have tirelessly worked to get it done for us. We have been touched by the outpouring of love and concern from our community. We are truly blessed and appreciate everyone’s generous support of our veterans and our museum. We hope that the museum building repairs can be made soon and that we can resume Coffee Call on February 1.
For everyone who has been asking about helping, your monetary donations are always greatly appreciated. The museum is closed until it is deemed safe, but your tax-deductible donations can be mailed to: Alabama Veterans Museum, 114 W. Pryor
By: Yvonne Dempsey
January 3, 2025
