Storm briefs (July 21, 2011)

BACK IN A FLASH: The Kent State Flashes football team is coming to Tuscaloosa Sept. 3 to play ‘Bama in its home opener, but several Kent State players are visiting this week to assist in tornado relief. They are scheduled to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and hold a football clinic for children in Tuscaloosa, Friday, July 22, and Saturday, July 23, according to a July 19 report by Dave Carducci at www.kentstatesports.com. The Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa group is credited with helping the Kent State group coordinate the visit, according to Carducci. JC

COME AROUND SUNDOWN: The rock band Kings of Leon has announced it will donate the proceeds from a July 26 concert in Orange Beach to tornado relief. The Nashville-based group has started a fund to aid long-term recovery, mainly in Alabama. The band and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham will manage the fund, according to a July 19 report by Matt Okarmus of The Montgomery Advertiser, who cites a Red Mountain Entertainment press release. The concert will be held at The Amphitheater at The Wharf with opening act Band of Horses. Showtime will be 8 p.m. Ticket prices range from $37 to $70 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. JC

STILL NEEDY: State officials are saying storm-damaged Alabama cities and towns may need as much as 400 million dollars in government grants in addition to the money they are already receiving or are expecting to receive from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other already established sources of disaster-relief, according to a July 19 report by the Associated Press. Jim Byard Jr., director of Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, is reported as saying that the state might be unable to rely on the federal Community Development Block Grant program to cover the gap. He went on to urge that any further planning include the current economic conditions as a factor, and indicated that help would be more likely to come in the form of tax breaks or incentives than from direct federal assistance. SG

PICKING UP THE PIECES: Alabama’s battered tornado victims will have another opportunity to receive guidance related to rebuilding at a Housing and Recovery Expo in Jefferson County, Saturday, July 23. By law, housing assistance from FEMA in Alabama is temporary, so getting back into a permanent housing situation is important and pressing. This expo, hosted by the State of Alabama Housing Task Force, the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and FEMA, has been designed to help victims reach that goal as quickly as possible, as well as offering assistance with banking, fraud counseling, insurance concerns, legal aid and other concerns. The expo will take place at South Hampton Elementary School, July 23, 12:30-5 p.m. For details, call (205) 280- 2275. SG

WRANGLING A NEW FUTURE: The citizens of Hackleburg are waiting with baited breath to find out what the future of their storm-damaged Wrangler plant will be, according to TimesDaily reporter Tom Smith. The ill-fated jeans distribution center, which is the city’s biggest employer, was destroyed by a tornado April 27, and one person was killed. Rumors over the fate of the plant began when Wrangler parent company VF Corp. postponed an announcement about future plans for the center. A VF representative says that the reason for the delay was an extension of the evaluation period, and that the deadline for a decision has been pushed back to July 31, but that rebuilding Hackleburg remains a viable option. SG

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