UPPER DUBLIN TOWNSHIP, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — When a tornado hit their community a week ago, Upper Dublin residents immediately came to the aid of those who lost so much. One Montgomery County woman created a Facebook page to link those in need to those who want to help.
"It is very heartbreaking. People had garage doors blown off, trees fall through their houses, they have had whole roofs blown off," said Mary Beck, describing the devastation.
"There is a house in Maple Glen the whole façade just fell off. Cars have been flipped over. The townhomes that are in Stuart Creek Farms they are all connected so if one is so bad that it has to be rebuilt, they have to knock all of them down that are connected to that one."
Beck knew the minute the tornado left, she had to do something.
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"I noticed on various Facebook pages that a few people were mentioning that we needed to compile some sort of list for resources," she said.
That's when she put together the Facebook page, UD Storm Damage 9/1 Helping Hands.
"This is where the information is going to go. We're going to just try to give everybody great resources. Any help that they needed. Whether it was clean-up, PECO for electricity that they lost," she said, "or remediation companies who needed to come in and clear out water and treat mold and things like that. And it just grew from there."
What Beck didn't anticipate was the outpouring of help, and neighbors stepping up to help other neighbors they never met.
"It started the day after and not it has grown. We're at about 4,400 people on the page," she said. "The sense of community here is more than I think that most people could ever imagine."
"And it's not just the adults," added Beck. "It's our kiddos setting up lemonade stands, baking cookies and making bracelets and selling them and donating all their little funds to help their school, the high school or the Catholic school."
