Rubble Remains in the Streets of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a Month After Tornado

May 29, 2011— -- More than a month after devastating tornadoes hit Tuscaloosa, Ala., killing more than 300 people, little rebuilding has been done and nearly 100 survivors are still living in shelters.

In fact, five people are still reported missing weeks after a tornado cut a six-mile-wide hole in the heart of Tuscaloosa.

While most residents said that the federal government appeared quickly and came to the rescue, they said the government is starting to move more slowly these days.

"America should definitely not forget about us," Tuscaloosa resident Naomi Wilson told ABC News. "These people in this area are going to be needing help for so long."

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walter Maddox, who has not taken a day off since the tragic storm, told ABC News that rebuilding can't begin while debris is still being moved off roads.

"You just can't change this overnight," he said. "Even though the damage that was sustained to Tuscaloosa took six minutes, it's probably going to take us six years to fully recover."

Families say it is disheartening and depressing to pass by piles of rubble that don't move and still to smell the snapped pine trees in the air. Fiberglass insulation and twisted metal still litter some streets.

Nearly 7,000 homes were destroyed when the tornado hit on April 27, but many people are still homeless. Close to 100 residents are still staying in the last open shelter, which will be closed next week.

"Where would I go? Sleep in the car? I don't know," said Vanessa Thomas, who is currently residing in the shelter.

Shirley Billingsley, 69, and her family worry they'll have to sleep outside their broken home. They want the federal government to bring them trailers or allow them to spend emergency money they received from FEMA on hotels or housing.

"Obama came in and he said, 'We gonna help everybody.' That's a lie!" Billingsley told ABC News. "Tell him Shirley said it, and she lives in Tuscaloosa, Ala."

Willy and Deangle Scott are doing much better than most of their neighbors. They had good insurance, so the bulldozers are coming next week to clear their lot and start rebuilding. They hope to be back in their new home by Christmas.

They had a message for other tornado victims in Joplin and Oklahoma: "A month from now you will not be healed," Willy Scott said, "but you will be healing."