Images like this can create tremendous community support for those suffering after a tornado strikes but for some, these images only mean one thing, clean-up time. And that means, a profit.
“It's hard to do it by yourself, and we figure we help everybody out,” says Nathan Thompson, a teen living near Tushka. “There are a lot of trees down and we figure we'll cut some down and help them out and it helps a lot when somebody helps you out.”
Not everyone is as giving as Tushka's Nathan Thompson. Some victims are taken advantage of.
The state's attorney general Scott Pruitt warns recent tornado victims of home repair and charity scams. Pruitt reminds us natural disasters are often an invitation for schemers to make moves on the helpless. In a statement he writes, "Within the next few days, home and business owners will want to repair storm damage quickly, but we caution them to be patient and make sure they are using a reputable home repair contractor. Investigators with our Public Protection Unit have prosecuted unscrupulous repair workers, commonly called travelers who follow storms across the country to profit from the misfortune of others."
Not all neighbors and friends will be as supportive and helpful as Thompson and his friends.
“All of our friends were in trouble, so after the storm and everything we came out here to help them because we would want the same thing.”
