NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It feels like yesterday when tornadoes ripped through the Madison area claiming three lives and leaving nothing but devastation in its trail.
The road to recovery since the tornado hit in December is ongoing, and one organization is stepping in to help fix what has been a broken community.
The Nashville Tree Foundation is partnering with different groups to help restore the part of a community you may not think of often after a major storm, re-planting trees.
Families had trees fall onto their homes during the tornadoes. The Tree Foundation says planting new trees can be the promise of hope that a neighborhood needs in order to heal.
The effort is called the Community Tree Recovery Program, and the plan is to give away 375 trees to people in Madison today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. These new trees will be free.
The distribution is planned to be at Amqui Station.
Anyone who wants a free tree can pre-register on the Nashville Tree Foundation website at www.nashvilletreefoundation.org. The giveaway is limited to three trees per household. Organizers say this is a great way to restore what was lost for a community that still needs so much help to recover.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
