COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — When Ryan Myers walks inside his house, he starts to tear up. He lost nearly everything — except his family — when the tornado outbreak tore through Cookeville.
"[My room], that bathroom and the next room are the only three rooms in this whole house that did not implode," he said. "I lost everything in a blink of an eye."
For the past six months, he's been rebuilding his home with the help of his son and volunteers. Myers has a roof, structure and windows. But he does not have home insurance.
"It's hard. We're one of the few people that [chose to] actually rebuild," he said. "I can't afford not to. This is my whole life right here."
Shortly after the tornado hit, Myers said he lost his income too. He was working at a restaurant and deck/patio contractor, both jobs affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He started living in the camper next to his home, where he had lived for six years. He has to remind himself it's only temporary, but getting the work done has been difficult.
"The hardest part is just staying mentally strong because it wears on you after a while," he said. "Physically working all week and then coming here and working on this, it drains me."
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Myers said his son motivates him to keep going and move forward. Plus, he's gotten help from volunteers everywhere.
"I've got friends and volunteers that can do all the work. I'm just getting material," Myers said. "I appreciate all the help that's been through here and I can't express it enough."
Johnny Harrison, who started the Love Your Neighbors group, is making sure Ryan Myers and everyone else in Cookeville are taken care of.
"People just wrap their arms around Cookeville and say, what do you need? It was just a huge American hug," he said, "I've been involved in helping them in recovery and getting that coordinated and getting everybody back on their feet."
Harrison said he's met countless volunteers from across the country over the last few months. Each one has contributed to helping Cookeville recover.
"When you drive through that zone, you'll see the results of the volunteers and the help that we've had," Harrison said, adding that he wants Cookeville to be known as resilient. "They're all out constantly trying to help."
If you want to volunteer or contribute to Love Your Neighbors, you can visit the organization's website.