By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

When Vincent Fire Captain Wade Holley heard a cry for assistance, he and eight Vincent and Harpersville firemen piled into service trucks and headed north to Hackleburg on the morning of April 30.

“We got the word that they were in dire need of help,” Holley said. “When we got there, we went to the staging area, and they deployed us to search around structures for victims. We searched all day for victims throughout the community.”

Holley experienced the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the 1998 F-5 tornado in Pleasant Grove, but he said the destruction he saw in Hackleburg was the “worst damage I’ve ever seen.”

“There were various other agencies out there, but it seemed they hadn’t received as much help as other areas received,” Holley said. “Words can’t describe the damage. It was very eye opening.

“We were very pleased to be able to help out someone, and they were more than gracious for us coming out,” he added. “They couldn’t believe we came out that far. They were overwhelming us with thanks. It was a blessing to get to go. I never want to have to do it again, but we’d do it again in a heartbeat.”