( CNN ) -- Last week 's tornado outbreak was the largest in U.S. history , according to the National Weather Service . At least 178 tornadoes tore across communities in 14 states and caused 327 deaths . Among the communities affected by the storms was Ringgold , a small town in northwest Georgia . Half of the town 's businesses were damaged , and many homes were reduced to rubble . Ringgold , population 2,800 , had limited resources to deal with the emergency until 2008 CNN Hero Tad Agoglia and his First Response Team rolled into town . With more than $ 1 million worth of specialized equipment , Agoglia 's mobile response team has the tools and the experience to help communities recover in their darkest hours . CNN spoke to Agoglia about his group 's recent efforts in Ringgold . CNN : Where were you when you heard about the storms , and why did you decide to come to Ringgold ? Tad Agoglia : ( We ) had been in North Carolina for the past two weeks . We responded to a terrible tornado there that ripped through most of the state . All of a sudden , we 're watching on TV one of the worst ( tornado outbreaks ) form in United States history , possibly . We knew there was going to be a tremendous amount of suffering , and we knew we had to respond . We decided to come to Ringgold , Georgia , because it 's a small community , and most likely they did n't have resources they would need to deal with this type of storm . CNN : What kind of resources do you bring with you ? Agoglia : When a disaster strikes , you do n't really know what you 're going to need , so you have to bring everything . That 's why we 've packaged up four tractor-trailers loaded with just about every type of tool and gear and piece of equipment . We have huge lighting systems and rubble cameras for search and rescue . We 've got cranes and trucks to remove the debris from the road . We 've got the ( generators ) to power up emergency rooms , nursing homes , shelters . We 've got just about every type of cutting tool known to mankind -- plasmas cutters , concrete saws , metal saws , wood saws -- anything that you need to get through an area to get to the people that need help . We have seen just about every type and size of disaster imaginable . We can create a lot of progress really quickly in a lot of communities just by the experience we have and the equipment we have . CNN : What have you been doing since you arrived in Ringgold ? Agoglia : We were able to get the church powered up and utilize it as a shelter . After that , we quickly moved in gear to start clearing roadways . Clearing roads is really important , because people ca n't get out if the roads are n't cleared . Ambulances and fire trucks need to get to home sites to perform search and rescue , so we help with that . This debris is really tricky stuff to deal with . When you look at a road and it 's covered with houses and trees and cars -- just about anything you can imagine -- it 's a little challenging to figure out how to clear that path . But we 've got the equipment to be able to do that . So we just began to clear one road after the other . CNN : You 've also been clearing home sites . How do you decide who to help ? Agoglia : It was a little difficult to figure out where to start . It 's just home after home , hundreds of them for miles and miles throughout this county and city . And so we decided to start helping families who lost loved ones in the storm . I literally just started walking up the streets . I started asking questions . `` Do you know anybody that 's in need ? Do you know any families that have lost loved ones ? '' And the local community led me to Melba ( Weese , whose father was killed ) . Not only were we able to go through the home site ( where Weese 's father lived ) and find some of their precious belongings and clear the site , but we were also able to prepare the burial grounds for her and her family . CNN : This work is so physically and emotionally grueling . What keeps you going ? Agoglia : This is part of being human . A lot of people think the government is supposed to help us or FEMA 's supposed to help us , the White House in Washington will help us . But when we see people who are really suffering and struggling , it 's our responsibility to come and to help . I 'll come into a city , and I 'll meet absolute strangers . And within days , they 're kind of like friends and family . And it 's hard when you look into their faces and you see the sadness and the loss , the shock and confusion . And all I can hope is that what we did makes a difference in their lives ... and hopefully others will also rise to the occasion , see the needs and do something about it . To donate to the First Response Team , visit its website at firstresponseteam.org . To read the original story about Agoglia , visit his archive page at CNNHeroes.com . CNN 's Kathleen Toner and Ashauntae Porras contributed to this report .
years FEMA Hero Melba is helping a small town in United States recover from a tornado . His team came prepared with tractor-trailers full of helpful tools and equipment . The team also brought 2008 of experience ; it travels from disaster area to disaster area .