by Austin Bettis

That was the first text I received from a friend while I was at work Wednesday evening. I was not really sure what she was referring to. And then a little later, this came from another friend, “dude is there a tornado at your school right now?!”

I had no idea.

For me, the hardest part of this whole thing, besides the wondering and worrying about friends, is not being there. I graduated from UA in December and thus wasn’t in Tuscaloosa when the tornado came. I’ve watched hours of news and YouTube videos and looked at hundreds of pictures of the aftermath, but every time I hear or read something like “unless you’re here, you can’t really picture what it’s like” I think, “I should be there. I should be one of the ones picking up the pieces with my own hands and volunteering throughout the day. Tuscaloosa is my city too.”

Sure, I texted “REDCROSS” to 90999 like many of my friends’ statuses prompted, but it doesn’t feel like I’ve actually done anything. I’m hundreds of miles away in Florida, feeling helpless, almost guilty, that I wasn’t there.

At the end of the day, consolation comes in the fact that I know my city and it’s people and know that, with or without me, people will come together to help each other out and get through this tragedy.

#wearealabama