VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Earlier this month, the Great Neck area of Virginia Beach experienced a tornado that damaged many homes within the community.
A lot of the debris from the natural disaster made its way to the shore lines located in First Landing Shore Park.
Those within the community noticed this issue, and decided to come together to host a shore cleanup.
On Sunday, both Virginia Beach locals and those who reside in Hampton Roads removed trash from the shore. This included leftover roofs, car parts and many household items.
For many volunteers, the items collected were pieces of their very own homes. But, coming together as a community to cleanup their neighborhood provided them with a sense of peace despite the circumstances.
Cleanup coordinator and Virginia Beach resident, Dex Auer, tells News 3 his home was also affected by the tornado, but after seeing all the washed up debris in the park he knew he had to bring everyone together.
"You definitely recognize the devastation that took place from the tornado, and I also recognize the overwhelming support from our community. It's just great to see these people out here, they don't need to be out here, but they wanted to be out here, and this would've happened without everybody out here," said Auer.
First Landing State Park staff tell us that they will continue to monitor the leftover debris from the tornado, and as more items come to shore, they are ensuring that the items are properly disposed of.
As for volunteers and residents of the community, they are grateful to have a supportive village around them amid adversity.
