Hurricanes aren’t really a thing in Madison. Occasionally we’ll get a tropical storm that rolls through or a drastically downsized hurricane. We might get a few hurricane days off and become a temporary place of shelter for displaced families. But never in my lifetime has Madison seen a storm like this one.

Idalia came onto land as a strong category three hurricane and maintained much of its strength while traveling the sixty miles to Madison County. Eerie howls. Sheets of sideways rain. Winds that shook houses and uprooted trees that have withstood the test of time. As we watched from the front window of my home, I could only imagine the havoc this storm was wreaking.

  I drove my husband’s work truck as he led the way out of our road on his front-end loader after the storm. The devastation was overwhelming. Many trees covered every road—big trees, not little babies, either.  One two-mile stretch had over forty trees that had to be removed. All day, my husband cleared roads and tried to help family members and friends gain access to main thoroughfares.

And do you know what was happening in every corner of our county? The very same thing. Neighbors helping neighbors. Neighbors helping strangers. People being the physical hands and feet of Jesus, just as He told us to do. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Never have I seen this community rally together so well or so strong as I have seen this past week.

Resources poured in as churches, schools, and businesses opened their doors to the community. Donations of water, ice, hot meals, hygiene kits, MRE’s, canned goods, diapers, baby food, and so much more were distributed to those in need within our community. Hundreds of linemen crews from miles around joined forces to restore our power in record time. Showers, toilets, and laundry stations showed up as did cooling and recharging stations. Volunteers from other towns put their lives on hold as we all joined efforts so we could gain a sense of normalcy.

And as a community, we are grateful. Grateful for the large companies and partners who supplied the resources. Grateful for the lineman working into the night to restore our power. Grateful for the volunteers randomly cleaning up yards. Grateful for the many hands serving food and distributing supplies. Grateful that our little town didn’t have more damage than it did. Grateful many of our homes were spared. Grateful that our lives were protected.

On the day when we wake up and life has some semblance of normal, let us not forget about our neighbors. As we rejoin the workforce and head back into the schools, let us not forget about our neighbors. As we continue to clean up our yards, let us not forget about our neighbors. And as we adopt our daily routines, let us not forget our neighbors.

Our strength is our connection; first to God in heaven, then to one another. Without connection, there is no strength. Without strength, we are no longer Madison County Strong; but only another county on a map that represents a national statistic.

We are more than a number. More than a decimated community left in Idalia’s wake. As so many are posting on social media, we are Madison County Strong and right proud of it.

Hold your head up high. Thank God for our amazing small town filled with neighborhood heroes. And don’t forget to suit up with your own cape every morning before you leave your own home. We have neighborhood hero business to tend to as we go about our daily lives every day. We may never know whose life we are impacting for eternity.

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