. >> reporter: neighbors like rob greganis say there's a special quality to small communities like cordovaed in this house all his life. >> living here is a blessing. you're either kin to each other, went to school with each other. >> reporter: the old southern home survived the civil war but could not withstand this week's storms. the ceiling over his bedroom ripped right off. >> you look up and see the sky where your roof used to be. you see where furniture was moved three or four feet away from the wall, bricks dumped behind it. >> reporter: 70 miles away the damage in the tiny town of hackleburg is even worse. but the spirit of giving just as strong. >> i don't know where to start. >> reporter: with her baby girl casey in her arms, andrea hall says so many helping hands are supporting the family after they lost their home. >> they keep giving me formula and diapers. everybody's helping out. >> reporter: in a place where only 1,500 people live, irma davis says close knit is not just a description, but a way of life here. >> everybody knows everybody else. and everybody has really pulled