Alabama resident Greg Cook thought he lost everything when a deadly tornado touched down in Alabama, tearing homes from their foundations and leaving entire neighborhoods devastated. Cook’s home was leveled by a twister that ripped through the Athens area earlier today, and the East Limestone man assumed his dog had died when the house collapsed.
Greg Cook hugs his friend David Derrick at East Limestone community on Friday, March 2, 2012. A reported tornado destroyed several houses in northern Alabama as storms threatened more twisters across the region Friday.
Fortunately, that assumption was proven incorrect when Cook and friends who were helping him sift through the rubble made a remarkable discovery: Coco had somehow managed to survive.
Greg Cook hands his dog Coco to Donnie Watts inside the destroyed home in Limestone County.
Nobody knows how the dog lived through the storm, but all were content to accept it as a hopeful miracle in the midst of tragedy.
An emotionally exhausted Cook sobbed when he was finally reunited with Coco.
images ©AP/Gary Cosby Jr.
God Bless them both, can someone please post contact information with the needs for both Greg and Coco?
I second that! Please let us know how we can help!
Post some contact info so that we can help Greg and Coco with basic needs. I’m sure they are in need of clothing, blankets, food, etc. Let us help them.
I second that! Please let us know how we can help.
That’s a great idea. How would something be set up for them?I would like to help.
Noni I have the info for Mr.Cook if you want to contact me at animaladvocate at yahoo.com
God Bless all!
Saw this man and his dog on my Century Link Homepage. There was no story or anything to let us know who or how they were reunited. So glad you all picked up the picture and the story. Thank God they are both alright and they are together again. Coco looked so afraid and he looked lost….now they have each other again to help get them through this.
I would gladly make a donation to help Greg and Coco.
Contact the Limestone County Red Cross at 256-232-6820.
Send in care of the photographer at the newspaper or the local police department. This is from a picture I found on another link. Also, Mr. Cook just buried his mother last week according to the other story.
God bless us all. May those so afflicted find shelter, food, and loving hands.
The photographer:
Photo/The Decatur Daily, Gary Cosby Jr.)
THANK GOD THEY WERE REUNITED. DOGS ARE TRULY MANS BEST FRIEND. I WILL KEEP THEM BOTH DEEP IN MY HEART AND IN MY PRAYS.
Thank you for this story. This picture was on my yahoo home page this morning w/o a story & just the picture broke my heart. Such compassion and emotion are told here. My prayers to all who were affected by these devastating storms. Mr. Cook & Coco i’m so glad you were reunited, i to have a dog who is like family to me and i know what lose that can bring.
May God Bless You & Coco!
So happy for Greg and Coco! I can’t even imagine what you went through but hopefully when you two found each other it makes the rest feel a little more bearable because at least you have each other’s love! So sorry for what you had to go through!
May God continue to bless Mr. Cook and Coco. I hope he will be able to find a place to live that will permit him to have Coco with him! Heart warming story.
Please let us know how to help Greg and Coco.
i keep reading the story over and over and each time, i tear up for not only Coco and Greg but for all those so devastated by the events in that area the last couple of days. God bless all of you!
So sweet! What an emotional reunion I bet!
If you want to help, here is a list of organizations that are conducting relief efforts:
AMERICAN RED CROSS:
Make a donation to support American Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting http://www.redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to their local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.
SALVATION ARMY:
Donations can be made online at http://www.SalvationArmyUSA.org, by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or by texting the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation by phone. Or by mail: The Salvation Army Disaster Relief P.O. Box 100339 Atlanta, Ga. 30384-0339
FEEDING AMERICA:
When you donate to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity, every dollar helps provide eight meals to families struggling with hunger. Feeding America can be reached at (800) 771-2303 (National Office) or online at http://feedingamerica.org.
NATIONAL VOAD:
National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) is the primary point of contact for voluntary organization in the National Response Coordination Center at FEMA headquarters. They also provide assistance to disaster victims as well as those looking to help, at http://www.nvoad.org/
From what I have seen on the news, people from all over the country are responding, some even making the trip to these areas to help those afflicted. This is a good thing, though unfortunately this is sometimes what it takes to respond.
Please add my name to the up date list on how they are doing.
Thank You for your cooperation.
I would encourage anybody who would like to help Greg and the other people in his community to contact the Limestone County Red Cross at 256-232-6820.
WHEN I SAW AND HEARD ABOUT YOUR DOG/AND YOUR SELF IT JUST BROKE MY HEART…YOUR EMOTION-COMPASSION AM SO GLAD YOU FOUND YOU DOG AND HOPE THINGS ARE BETTER NOW. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE SUN SHINE UPON YOU
ALWAYS…I FEEL FOR YOU SINCE I HAVE 3 DOGS (BLACK/TAN COONHOUNDS)
I WOULD BE DEVINSTATED