Here's How To Help Southern Communities Devastated By Multistate Tornado Outbreak
In the last week, several states across our region have faced an outbreak of severe weather and powerful tornadoes. Per CBS News, there were 177 reported tornadoes across the country from May 14 to May 20. One of them was an EF4 that tore through southeastern Kentucky and was on the ground for 55 miles. Another caused massive devastation and several fatalities in St. Louis, Missouri.
Over the multi-day event, tornadoes touched down in Missouri, Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Virginia, and Oklahoma and caused over 20 fatalities.
Dozens of communities are now beginning to pick up the pieces and will need help. If you are interested in ways you can lend a hand to your neighbors across the South, here are some of the organizations that we have vetted, already on the ground and doing the work. You can contribute to their efforts with the links below:
The American Red Cross is often one of the first organizations on the ground following a disaster. These storms were no exception. There are already more than 80 trained Red Cross disaster workers in some of the hardest hit communities in Kentucky and Missouri. They are helping to provide shelter, food, and emotional support.
Donate here.
Virginia-based Mercy Chefs mobilized with teams set up in two of the hardest hit communities, St. Louis, Missouri and London, Kentucky. Mercy Chefs, led by Gary and Ann LeBlanc, head into disaster zones to provide chef-prepared meals to 'feed body and soul.'
They are set up to serve meals in the following locations:
St. Louis:
The Saint Louis Dream Center, 4324 Margaretta Ave, St. Louis, MO 63115
O'Reilly Auto Parts, 4318 Natural Bridge Ave, St. Louis, MO 63115
Tabernacle Church, 3801 Ashland Ave, St. Louis, MO 63107
London, Kentucky:
Faith Assembly of God, 390 Faith Assembly Church Rd, London, KY 40741
Below, you can hear a first-hand account of one of the survivors in Kentucky and how Mercy Chefs is helping her community:
Donate to their efforts here.
The group of philanthropic barbecue pitmasters known as Operation BBQ Relief deployed right away to London, Kentucky. They fired up their pits and got to work serving hearty meals to the communities in need as well as the first responders serving them. They even had to momentarily shut down their services and take cover themselves as a second round of storms hit the same region again. But the team at OBR is still in Kentucky serving those in need.
Donate and find out how to volunteer here.
Samaritan's Purse also has teams in both hard-hit St. Louis, Missouri and London, Kentucky. They are on the ground helping residents pick up debris and sort through the wreckage of their homes. They are also there with spiritual support. They can use both your financial support and the support of your time if you are able to volunteer.
Donate here.
The Salvation Army has partnered with Southern Baptist Disaster Relief to get into these impacted communities and provide critical care and support to both the residents of these communities and the first responders. Captain Carrie McCall of The Salvation Army said in a press release, 'Working together, we have been able to reach more people with food, supplies, and hope.' With their mobile units, the Salvation Army is able to provide meals, emotional and spiritual support, snacks, drinks, and hygiene items to dozens of communities in need.
Donate to the Salvation Army here.
This is a developing story.
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