It has been five months
since a number of tornados touched down in Arlington and terrorized people in
its path. Fox four's Emily Lopez shows
us one Arlington community that has come a long way -- with a long way to go.
Ben Blackshear lived in his Arlington farmhouse
for the past 17 years. Back in April a
tornado decimated the neighborhood – now there's nothing left of his house, it
was too damaged to repair.
He was forced to tear
it down and haul off the debris. Today
there's not a lot left on the property, just a huge hole in the ground and in
his heart.
Since then, Blackshear
has been living in a travel trailer. He's
selling the property and moving out of state.
There are reminders of
that day all over town. Blue tarps dot
the landscape – bricks and debris litter front and back yards.
The recovery process
has been slow - some of the scars are esthetic, some are emotional.
Cathy Smith is in
charge of the children's ministry at St Barnabas United Methodist Church. She and a handful of other adults were with a
group of children when the twister touched down.=
On this day, church
goers celebrate the re-opening of the building which sustained the most damage -
the building Smith was in
While St Barnabas was
able to rebuild - Blackshear was not as fortunate, yet he remains positive.
