March 3-Plain and Americus, GA

We stopped in Plains to see the Carter Historical sites---his boyhood home and the farm, his high school, his present home, and his headquarters in the train depot when he was running for President. We just quickly explored because Gene had called the Red Cross to see if there was anything we could do in Americus. Two people were killed in Americus yesterday when one of the tornados hit the town and its only hospital. We were told to leave the RV in Plains and drive to Americus to meet the Red Cross. Evidently they did need help moving beds and equipment out of the hospital that was destroyed to set up a temporary hospital in one of the larger churches. We found the Red Cross headquarters easily but things were pretty under control when we arrived. They had been really busy all day yesterday clearing the streets and making sure everyone was safe and had a place to stay. Nothing was happening at the moment because President Bush was due in town this afternoon. There were lots of people wandering taking pictures. We wandered too, but I couldn't take pictures...it just didn't feel right. It looks just like it does on TV. The hospital was destroyed, windows all blown out, curtains blowing in the wind, insulation everywhere. The tornado cut a 200 yard wide path right through town. Odd to see complete destruction on one side of the street and minor damage on the other side. A tornado can really twist steel and reduce a house to nothing. We didn't see the President, although we weren't really looking for him. He evidently did a lot of hand-shaking and was very friendly with the people who were hanging around. Not much "presidential" security that I could see (police, sheriff's deputies and state patrol everywhere!), he just walked up and down the street and went into the Red Cross office we'd been in about 1/2 hour earlier. We've had lots of chances to see politicians lately but haven't waited around for any of them! Obama and both Clintons were in Selma, Carter was teaching Sunday school in Plains, Bush was in Americus...and the Howes left them all behind and drove to the beach! We're now in the Florida panhandle picking up some mail. We didn't discover that it was spring vacation around here until we arrived. UGH. May not get to enjoy the beaches as we had hoped.