GRIFFIN, Ga. — More than eight months after a devastating tornado ripped through his neighborhood, one Griffin resident is finally settling back into a place he can call his own.
And while Emmit Ponder is turning the page to a new chapter in life, many of his neighbors are still stuck on the last one and waiting to heal.
On January 12th, a series of tornados tore through Georgia. One of them crossed Kendall Drive in Griffin, where Ponder has lived for over 30 years. Approximately 2,000 structures were damaged in Griffin and Spalding County. Ponder is among the first in his area to move into a new home. It took a lot of patience and help.
“I would come out here every day, clean up the yard, sit here all day,” Ponder said of his eight-month wait to rebuild. “People say, 'why you sit here all day?' I said, 'It’s my home.'”
He watched as demolition crews took away the pieces, waiting as his niece Pat Willis helped organize the rebuild.
“You’ve got to get inspections, then the building permits,” Willis said. “Some people think once you get the permits, you’re good to go, but no.”
Patience and persistence led the family to a contractor who waited for the green light. When he finally got it, Gene King of King Construction, who had a connection with Ponder, built his new home in only seven weeks.
“I’ve got a very dear friend of mine," King said, "Mr. Ponder helped take care of her mother in her final days. So when they called me, I was excited for the whole process and to meet him.”
For some tornado victims in Griffin, the process has been agonizing. Properties have been cleared and now sit empty. There are homes left wide open to the elements. Some look exactly as they did the day after the tornado.
Since January, victims have faced a variety of issues.
“All of the pieces of the puzzle from financing, finding contractors, materials, and then just time,” Glenn Polk, Griffin-Spalding County Emergency Management Director said.
Local businesses donated $140,000 to help dozens of victims who didn’t have insurance and failed to qualify for other assistance.
For Ponder, the eight-month wait earns him a spot as one of the lucky ones. In his new home, he’ll continue to move away from the past that still surrounds his Griffin neighborhood.