CULLMAN —
When U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions toured tornado-ravaged areas in Cullman County 15 months ago, debris and rubble was a common site through downtown.
But while visiting on Tuesday afternoon to congratulate Cullman Mayor Max Townson and the city for being selected by Southern Business and Development as the number one city in recovery efforts after the storms, Sessions saw much more than he did on his previous trip.
Businesses were back open and booming, and homes were restored to where they once stood.
“He was very complimentary of Cullman and Cullman County for the cleanup and recovery efforts that are under way,” Cullman EMA Director Phyllis Little said. “He was very impressed with how the community as a whole has come back.”
Little echoed the senator’s thoughts when talking about those efforts.
“Just looking at what we’ve done here, and having visited other parts of the state that were devastated by the storm, Cullman has done an outstanding job in its efforts to rebuild,” she said. “Our leaders in the community are all on the same page on where the county needs to go.”
Townson was very appreciative of the award the city received and said it shows the character of the citizens in the community.
“I’ve always said Cullman is a town of character, and we saw that come to fruition after the storm,” he said. “It was neighbor helping neighbor. It was the most united community effort I’ve ever seen, and I just thank the people of this county from the bottom of my heart.”
Cullman was just one of several places the senator visited this week. He also made stops in the Hackleburg and Phil Campbell communities, which were also hit hard by the April 27, 2011, storms, to get a look at their recovery efforts. Little said during the brief meeting with county and city officials Sessions took suggestions from those in attendance on what could be done at the federal level to better assist areas in times of disaster.
“He was able to get some feedback from the folks in attendance, and was going to take those notes back with him to Washington, D.C.,” Little said. “Overall it was very positive.”
* Ashley Graves can be reached by phone at 734-2131, ext. 225, or by email at agraves@cullmantimes.com
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