MCDONALD CHAPEL, Alabama - The tornadoes of 2011 were only the start of the storm for Earcy Tucker.

He has lived the time since - the almost 800 days since - in a McDonald Chapel shell of a home, ripped to shreds by the storm, leaning, collapsing, molding without power or water, struggling to carry on his life.

He still works. He still walks two miles to the bus stop for his daily commute to town, dragging his laundry behind. He still goes to church every Sunday with his 81-year-old aunt.

He doesn't ask for help, and he never gave up hope, sheriff's department officials say. For all those days in the wake of the storm he just put his head down and plodded toward the light.

"Here is a man that is doing the very best he can in extraordinary conditions and he hasn't complained and he hasn't blamed anyone. He has fallen through the cracks of the system or fallen short of qualifying for help,'' said Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale. "If you met him on the street and saw how clean, neat and polite he was you would never dream he was living under these circumstances and conditions. Some may dare say he is slow witted, I would just say he is too proud to ask for help so we are asking for him."

When the storms struck Tucker's Utica Street home, sheriff's authorities said he was simply thankful he was alive and that the house had not been completely destroyed. He didn't have insurance and, like other storm victims, went to FEMA for help. Authorities said he received a small amount of money, but not enough to make a dent in the repairs.

He sought more, and was denied. "He explored every avenue he knew to exist in an effort to repair his home,'' said Chief Deputy Randy Christian. "All turned out to be dead ends."

Tucker went on with his life the best he could. The water has poured into his home ever since. The ceilings have collapsed, and there are holes in the floors. There is no power or water, because it isn't safe to run utilities into the home.

Several weeks ago, someone took notice. Sheriff's Lt. Felicia Rucker, also displaced by the storms and now renting a home in McDonald Chapel, noticed one of the homes in her neighborhood still had the tattered blue FEMA tarp over the house. She took interest, and then realized someone was living there. She decided to take a plate of food to the man, and what she found was worse than she ever imagined.

There is one small space in a back bedroom where Tucker sleeps and lives. He told Rucker he had to sleep at an angle to dodge the rain. What cooking he does, he does on top of a kerosene heater.

He explained to Rucker that he was born and raised in the house. Both his parents and brother passed away. His roots there run deep. He is not angry or bitter; instead he is thankful and said it is by the grace of God that he has anything left at all.

"Deputies who work in the area were struck by the determination and faith of a man who was struggling but still trying,'' Christian said. They started to check on him, and help him in any way they could.

However, Christian said, more needs to be done. Tucker's home cannot be saved.

A group of deputies took up a collection and put Tucker up in a hotel for a week. A sheriff's sergeant who is also a pastor has set up a fund to help Tucker. The plan, authorities said, is to demolish the home and buy a mobile home to move onto the property.

"Our community here in Jefferson County, and in Alabama for that matter, is among the most giving in the country. We are making this need known and I know the call for help will be answered,'' Hale said. "I am so proud of our deputies for seeing this need, bringing it forward and having the heart and the determination to do something about it. I have said many times they are the best of the best. I rest my case on that."

Anyone wishing to make a donation should contact Sgt. Lloyd Watkins at 205-481-4210 or by email at preacher158@yahoo.com.