Jimmie Greenwell’s apartment in Northport is miles away from the tornado’s path. On Thursday and Friday, he took in friends whose homes were destroyed or without power.
The house where Greenwell planned to live in the fall, however, is little more than a downed tree and a pile of rubble.
Like many students – both those whose current homes were destroyed or those who planned to move into housing that was destroyed – Greenwell, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering, now begins the frantic search for where he will live next year.
Jim Andrews, the publisher of the Tuscaloosa Apartment Guide, created a Facebook page Monday to help displaced students and residents find housing properties with openings.
The page, called Housing for Tornado Victims, allows owners of rental property to post what openings they have, and also encourages those searching for housing to post what they’re looking for.
“Instead of having to hit every single property, they can just go and check the postings to see if there’s an availability,” Andrews said. “You don’t have to drive, say, to University Village to see. You can just check the Facebook page and see what’s open.”
Andrews launched the page around 9 a.m. Monday. He said there needed to be a more centralized location for people seeking housing.
“Yesterday, I was talking to Warner Johnson at Duckworth Morris and he said their phones were melting down from all the calls,” he said. “First, I thought about creating a blog, and then we ended up creating a Facebook page.”
The page lists both apartments available for rent immediately and those that will become available for students in August.
The page is also linked on the main page at housing.ua.edu.
The University has already opened up the Rose Towers residence hall for displaced students, faculty and staff, said Alicia Browne, associate director for information and communication for Housing and Residential Communities.
“We have housing available in Rose Towers,” she said. “Those who are moving in now are students who lived off campus.”
Browne said Housing and Residential Communities is working with each displaced person individually to find the most appropriate housing arrangement for them.
Students who need housing for the summer can apply to live in Rose Towers through the normal process on myBama, but will be charged the normal fee for summer housing, she said.
Those who need housing can call the Rose Towers desk at 205-348-7559, she said.
Greenwell said his housing situation is still uncertain, but he is trying to find a familiar place to stay first.
The company he planned to rent from will have insurance adjustors assess the damage Tuesday, and then he will worry about housing for the fall.
“I’m waiting to hear back from the place I was supposed to stay at,” he said, “and I’m trying to see if the place I’m staying at now has any openings. If they do, then I’ll try to stay here.”
