Maple Hill Cemetery is now open but still damaged, here's how you can help

Maple Hill Cemetery is located near Five Points, the part of Huntsville hit hardest during last week’s intense storms.

The Cemetery was closed for the better part of a week as cleanup efforts were underway, and though the park is now open again, there’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. Here’s how you can help:

How you can help at Maple Hill Cemetery

Maple Hill has asked that despite many of the headstones being knocked over, NOT to try adjusting or fixing them. (Christian Stanfield / Hville Blast)

Most of the debris and fallen trees have been cleaned up or moved away from walkways, but cleanup efforts at Maple Hill Cemetery are active and ongoing.

Broken trees and debris are just one aspect of the cleanup process, the biggest hurdle facing the cemetery is repairing all of the headstones damaged by the storm.

Maple Hill Cemetery has reopened to the public. Please be careful when walking the grounds as clean-up efforts are still underway. Most importantly…PLEASE DO NOT move any broken monuments. It is imperative that all monuments remain where they are so that they can be properly repaired/restored. We can not emphasize this enough.
Huntsville Pilgrimage Association- via Instagram

Maple Hill and the Huntsville Pilgrimage Association are asking for donations to help with cleanup and restoration efforts. You can donate here or through the Huntsville Pilgrimage website.

Damage throughout Huntsville

There is something eerie about an “enter at your own risk” sign at a cemetery. (Christian Stanfield / Hville Blast)

Last week brought three tornadoes (including an EF-2) to Huntsville and left over 4,500 people without power.

With a storm of that strength, it’s no surprise that cleanup is still ongoing.

So far, over 1.4 million pounds of debris have been cleaned up around the city, and officials say they’re only about halfway done.

The city is planning large-scale cleanup efforts this Friday and Saturday to hopefully remove the majority of the remaining debris, but it could take a while before the effects of the storm are no longer visible.

Want to stay in the know about what’s new and happening in and around Huntsville? Follow Hville Blast on Facebook, TikTok and Instagram, and be sure to subscribe to our newsletter.