TALBOTTON, Ga. (WRBL) – As the first anniversary of the March 3 tornado approaches, those who lived through the disaster in Talbotton are reflecting on the storm’s impact on their community.

The normally quiet Talbotton was just one of the cities struck with a disaster that nobody saw coming. Stuck in the storm’s path, the community continues to recover from the damage the heavy winds wrought on the city.

The March 3 tornadoes in 2019 devastated multiple communities in the area, Talbotton included.

“I heard the alarm and I was on the telephone and I had no idea,” said Freddie Emma Jackson, a Talbotton resident.

Many residents are still left with a heavy heart, and have to make tough decisions for their families in the wake of the storm.

“They’re still moving. I know like some people, other victims, they have moved back, but they moved to different locations,” said Keandra Gamble.

As time went by, new homes were built and the debris was cleared from the roadways. Strangers near and far came together to help put the community’s worries at ease.

“The garbage collection company that we work with, they sent a bulk of garbage trucks down to pick up the debris and they did a good job helping us with that,” said Tony Lamar, Mayor of Talbotton. “We’ve had some financial problems that came from the tornado. A lot of houses were taken offline that we collected utilities from as far as water and sewage.”

The storm has also scarred several residents, but they say the tragedy brought the community closer together than it ever was before.

“It’s just a blessing from God that he inspired other people to help because we never know when we’re going to need help,” said Jackson.

Talbotton was lucky, suffering no fatalities during the storm, according to Mayor Lamar. He plans on working with a solar consulting group to look at the city’s economic development.