PARKERSBURG -- Jim Stockberger was never very good with a hammer, but when a tornado ripped through Parkersburg in May 2008 the Geneva native wanted to assist in rebuilding efforts.

"I knew the one thing I could do was write a song," said the Des Moines musician. "The night it happened, I went home and started working on it."

The resulting "Parkersburg" single was recorded by Stockberger's band, Fat Andy, and released on the one-year anniversary of the storm. Proceeds from the tune, available for download, will go toward a memorial site planned to honor the eight area residents who died from injuries sustained during the twister.

"The song brings to mind all the things that happened, including the lives that were lost," said Virgil Goodrich, the city's economic development director. "But it also is a reminder of how fortunate we are, plus all the help we've received."

Stockberger, who grew up roughly 25 miles from Parkersburg, has friends and family who were affected by the storm. The home of his great-aunt and -uncle in neighboring New Hartford was destroyed during the tornado. Despite those trials, his song focuses on the region's revival.

"This will always be our home here, on this sacred ground," Stockberger sings on "Parkersburg." "And we're building back around, cause the sun came up that morning, just like any other day, when it goes down, you won't look at her the same."

"When I was telling people I was going to write this song, everybody thought it was going to be this sad, sappy song," said the guitarist. "But the one thing I wanted to do was make it more upbeat, more about rejoicing the community, a kind of a resurrection-type song."

After penning the lyrics and music, Stockberger asked his bandmates to join him on the recorded version of the song. The tune, arranged in the group's signature alterative country-rock style, immediately hit home with the rest of the players.

"He played it once before practice a few months ago, and I think everybody knew immediately that it would really be special if it was done the right way," said Will Petersen, lead singer with Fat Andy. "To Jim's credit, he did that."

Copies of "Parkersburg" can be downloaded for a free will donation at www.authenticrecordsonline.com. People from as far away as Maine and Alaska have accessed the tune.

"I'm just a small-town Iowa guy," Stockberger said. "You think about what this would mean to your town, and your heart just goes out to them. For me, the song was my way of helping out."