Volunteers poured in to help their neighbors after Appomattox explosion

Just minutes after a massive gas pipeline explosion rocked Appomattox County on Sunday morning, volunteers from throughout the area began pouring in to help wherever possible.

Many volunteers at the shelter set up in the Appomattox County High School cafeteria were county employees, said recreation and tourism director Anne Dixon. But many others were community members who heard about the crisis and just showed up to offer help.

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“I thought the community was outstanding,” Dixon said. “They pulled together so quickly. Just about every church in town called to offer volunteers or food or anything they could do to help, which was absolutely wonderful.”

Church groups showed up at the shelter with piles of hot food and some business owners also arrived carrying boxes of snacks and drinks.

A manager from the local Kroger offered any assistance needed from the store just as the shelter opened, Dixon said.

The outpouring of food and support also flooded the staging area near the blast site, as volunteers brought sandwiches, hot food and drinks to firefighters and police.

Animal Control also made sure to care for pets left behind by those fleeing the blast.

As soon as they were cleared by emergency officials, Appomattox County animal control officers Mickey Martin and J.T. Hackett went door to door in the impacted neighborhoods to ensure those pets left behind were safe. Animals not in danger and too big to take to a motel were left food and water, Hackett said. “Other than that, getting them back to their owners was our main goal.”

The county housed four beagles at the animal shelter Sunday night because the owners, Roger and Marilyn Demorier, were staying at a motel, Martin said. The couple and their dogs were reunited at their home Monday morning, he said.

Martin and Hackett also brought some rescued pets to the shelter to be reunited with their owners “(People) were worried about their animals,” Martin said. “They are like their own children to them.”

Although Martin was confident that all pets survived the explosion unscathed, he said a farmer reported 18 cows living very close to the blast zone were missing. “I’m sure they heard the noise and got out of there,” he said.

“It was pretty awesome to do something for those people because they were really

worried about their pets,” Hackett said.

Although the blast didn’t occur within the Appomattox town limits, many town officials and council members quickly stepped in to assist at the shelter.

“We were at the county’s beck and call (Sunday),” said Town Clerk Roxanne Paulette. “I hope we were able to make the experience less painful.”

Appomattox County supervisors expressed deep appreciation Monday for the waves of assistance that came flooding in.

“It’s amazing how many people came together when an incident such as that happens here,” said Wreck Island District Supervisor Gary Tanner. “It’s the stuff you see on the news and think it will never happen here, and it did.”

County Administrator Aileen Ferguson said she can’t remember an incident of this size impacting the county in recent years. “Most of what we’ve dealt with here have been natural disasters” such as ice storms, she said.

A key character trait of the Appomattox community is its willingness to come together during times of need, Ferguson said. “I don’t know of a better place to live than Appomattox. When one of its own is having a problem, the whole county is ready to step forward and help out. There’s not a better place to live in the country than here.”