Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Shortly after the straight-line winds took out some nine mobile homes at Big Oak Mobile Home Park this morning, Benny Alaniz’s friends and colleagues knew what they had to do.

Alaniz, who owns the mobile home facility, said they called him and asked him what he needed.

“They went after it,” Alaniz said. “These are people I work with (at Cornerstone Home Builders). Those are good people.”

This morning, straight-line winds blew northeast through the mobile home facility, injuring six and totaling approximately nine homes.

Hours after the storm and after the restoration of power, volunteers began pitching in to help. Bobcats have been gathering up the remains of the mobile homes and putting them in piles. Others were patching up holes on roofs and picking up debris from yards.

Alaniz said power and water have been restored, and now the insurance adjusters will come and assess the damage.

“I know there’s 10 (mobile homes) that are completely gone,” he said. “And another nine to 10 completely damaged. We’re going to save the ones we can.”

When asked what it means to him to have his friends and colleagues come out to help, Alaniz said it hasn’t set in, yet.

“You think about it, and you always try to help somebody,” he said. “This man, there’s a lot of money rolling around here. They’re doing this because they want to help me. It’ll get there.”

Additionally, some Atmore civic organizations are pitching in to help provide aid and help to those who are in need.