This morning, my brother and his wife, Justin and Crystal Adams, lost two of their children in a fire that consumed their Alabama home and most of their possessions. Caleb Eric Adams, 2, and Cole Michael Adams, 1, died of smoke inhalation after a votive candle set fire to a nightstand, then the walls and everything else; the heat melted the ceiling and reduced the furniture to char. The little that remains is covered in soot and water and fire retardants. This post is a plea that some of you might be willing and able to provide some small amount of material assistance.
The Birmingham news has written about the tragedy; a link to the story can be found here.
The measure of a community is in how it responds to disaster—whether it coalesces or fractures under the strain of unanticipated horror. The internet promises to be a human community without borders or concern for geographical distance, and where a common will can soften the impact of the losses we sustain. I ask that, if you're able, you give some convenient portion of solace to a mourning family. If you prefer, please contact the Red Cross and donate as you're capable; as an organization, they are indispensable in the bedlam such as that following the tornadoes that left parts of Alabama in ruins, and hundreds of thousands without power.
This account will be operating for one week (until 6 May, 2011), after which it will be closed and all funds transferred to my bother and his family's possession.
I thank you dearly for your help.
