It’s been seven months since disaster struck Gloucester, leaving a path of destruction stretching for miles and bringing a community together during a time it will never forget. Since April 16, 2011, the fateful day that a devastating tornado cut a path straight through Gloucester County, many are still not in their homes.

However, one Clopton resident, Alice Marie Berry Harris, has defied the odds and moved into a brand-new home, just days before she celebrated her 66th birthday. She owes her success to her strong faith, the help and support of family and the community, and especially Gloucester’s Citizen Assistance Committee.

Harris said she was out of town visiting with family in South Carolina when a call came that her house on Hickory Fork Road in Gloucester had been destroyed by a tornado.

The next day, she was en route back to the county to see for herself what the storm had left behind. When she arrived, she was shocked to see the tornado had basically lifte...