Tornadoes – Your Help Is Needed
*All of the photos featured in this post were taken from my area of Alabama. Special thanks to facebook friends for allowing me to use them.
I’ve received countless emails asking if we were alright after last week’s devastating tornadoes and I’ve tried to respond as best I can. I’ve also received countless emails from a lot of folks who must not realize that I live in Alabama and we are in the midst of the biggest natural disaster in the history of the state. Please rest assured that my family is fine. We still have our home and the worst on our end was losing all of our refrigerated and frozen items as we had to do without power for a few days. I cannot thank you enough for your kindness and concern and hope that you will continue to keep Alabama and those who lost everything in your prayers.
A lot of folks don’t realize how devastating these tornadoes were because the national news has kinda moved on a bit. I now understand how so many of you feel when you go through something horrific and get fifteen minutes of coverage while you spend days and weeks of folks wondering how they will survive, then months and years struggling to rebuild while Lady Gaga’s outfit makes front page of yahoo.
We are digging out here in Alabama. More states were hit and they all suffered considerable blows but I can only share with you what it is like where I am. Many people are still without power. Without hot water, without a means of cooking, storing, and even acquiring food. What’s worse though, many families are without homes entirely. They have lost everything they own and precious loved ones as well.
Bin Laden may be gone, but so are these people’s houses.
A lot of people who understand our situation here have been asking how they can help. We have received countless prayers and notes of understanding from Katrina victims, Rita victims, etc. All folks who have been here and know all too well the frustration many are feeling right now.
A lot of folks are hearing about the horrific damage in Tuscaloosa and don’t realize how widespread the damage is beyond that.
To help put it in perspective, I live about three hours north of Tuscaloosa. In this area alone we lost over 350 homes.
That is 350 families who have lost everything. People have come from all over with utility companies from four different states working around the clock to try to restore power to those families who are still fortunate enough to have their homes. Police officers and volunteers from as far as New Jersey have come down to pitch in with the effort to remove debris, recover what property they can for those whose homes are gone, and pitch in to fill whatever needs arise.
Today I went to the Monrovia Community Center, located just ten minutes or so from my house. My brother took his grills and smokers there and has been cooking for folks since last Thursday. I joined my dad and uncle Jerry there to see what was needed and was able to talk with our county commissioner, Dale Strong. Dale is a good guy, he and I used to ride the bus together as kids. He has been working nonstop and his efforts and those of thousands of volunteers have really drawn the community together.
They have set up a command center at the Monrovia Community Center. They are feeding over 5000 people per day and have been since Thursday. They also have food being transported to over 2500 people in the area who do not have vehicles to come to the center.
My power came back on last night and I was thrilled to be able to get the fixings for a few dishes to take today when I went to meet with them and see where help was needed.
My dad was working out front and a lady pulled up with children to pick up some clothing. He said “Ma’am, theres food in there if you want any.” She looked skeptical and said “How much does it cost?” to which he replied “Nothing, absolutely free. Take your whole family in and eat all you want, then come back for supper”.
Inside volunteers work out of a tiny kitchen preparing food and serving it buffet style as it comes off the grills or out of the small work space. Homeless families and volunteers file in constantly to fill their plates and enjoy what for many will be their only meal of the day.
The hallway is lined with boxes filled with sack lunches that will be taken out into the field to volunteers who don’t want to stop working long enough to come to the center.
When they are finished they can go into one of two gymnasiums. One is lined with groceries, toiletries, diapers, personal items. People are escorted around as they fill boxes to help them get whatever it is they need, no questions asked. The other gymnasium has clothing separated by size and gender that folks are welcome to as well as toys. I saw many families leave with small children clutching toys they had just gotten, which can be a tremendous comfort to kids who don’t understand why they have lost everything their little hearts held dear.
- Most of our schools are still closed.
- Over 152,000 people are going on their sixth day without power
- Far too many are without homes.
- We are still under curfew, thankfully, to protect us from looting and lack of street and traffic lights at night.
- Even in the best of situations, having only lost all of your cold and frozen groceries, many people simply do not have the money to go restock.
How you can help:
Of course, please give where your heart tells you to. There are national organizations taking money but we have seen very little of them. Instead, the community has pulled together to help the community. The national media has moved on so if you are reading this, you are our media.
Post a link to this article on your fb page. If you have damage in your area, facebook about it, blog about it, tweet about it, help get word out so that those who need help have a better chance of getting it.
Dale Strong is leading the efforts with the tremendous help and organization of a local church group, The Rock. They are taking donations and using them to provide food and needed items at the community center I visited today as well as five other similar centers.
Dale urges people to donate any amount of money that they can and the Rock has a page set up to accept donations. I’ve worked with these folks at The Rock before. They help run Manna House, our local soup kitchen that I did a benefit book signing for and they are good people. Dale said every penny they get and then some is going directly to those in need in the wake of the tornadoes. I’ve heard many national organizations take a large portion of donations to cover administration costs but every penny of what you give to the folks below will go directly to the people affected by the disaster in my area.
For a listing of other organizations accepting donations, please click here to visit my friend Wade’s blog post.
You are welcome to list your organization in the comments below provided it is a verifiable charitable organization that is giving at least 80% of donations directly back to the public (ie. not reserving 30% or more for “administration” costs).
For those who have lost nearly everything, any amount will make a difference.
The national media has moved on. You are the media now.
Gratefully,
Christy
Related posts:
Posted by Christy Jordan
on May 2 2011. Filed under Misc.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
keep up the good work Christy… i live near Tanner & thankfully only lost some trees. But friends and neighbors 5 minutes away lost everything. A picture is said to be worth a thousand words. But in this case, pictures just dont get it till you’ve been there and seen with your own eyes. It really looks like something from a third world country. i was helping this weekend at a home that was destroyed and every few mintues another band of strangers would come through with water, ice, sack lunches, hot lunches, you name it. It makes me smile to see once again, no matter what the occasion (good or bad) …..Southerners start cooking and feeding!!
btw – - thank goodness for brother bill @ the hickory barn. Mimi drove down there just to see if he was open Thursday (apparently his phone was still out) and that’s what our bunch had for supper! i have to say again.. rain, sleet, snow, or tornadoes.. we always eat good in the south!
My daughter also lives in Madison. Thankfully their home was not hit, but even so, my five year old grandson was very upset with the distruction he saw when traveling from Madison to our home in Tennessee. Let’s not forget that storms leave emotional scars as well as physical ones. Our prayers are with you.
Restoration Church on Wall Triana has been feeding hundreds of people three hot meals daily since Thursday. This has been accomplished through donations and countless hours of volunteer time. God is working mightily through people willing to be used. The church has also become a distribution center. Trucks are arriving with water, food , cleaning supplies, etc. to be taken into areas of need. For some reason the needs of Madison and Limestone County are not being talked about very much. Thank you, Christy for making people more aware of the reality of the situation. God bless and strengthen all those suffering right now and all those allowing God to use them to help.
Susan:
I am from Grand Rapids~~I would truly be blessed with the opportunity to deliver needed supplies to Madison and Limestone County. I anticipate leaving Grand Rapdis, MI late Thursday or early Friday a.m. At this point, my goal is to bring with me chain saws, clothing, extension cords, water, snacks,toiletries goodies, etc~~whatever will fill my truck (and, in the trailer I hope to be towing!) PLEASE~~if you see this, let me know if there are any essentials that are more needed!! Also, if you have a contact number or the primary distribution location I should head to~I’d appreciate the information!
Please~~feel free to email me thru: sdsherman4@yahoo.com….I will share my cell number with you….either way—I’ll mapquest Madison and Limestone County and make my way there… God Bless to All from rand Rapids, Michigan. See You Soon!! Thinking of all…..Danette
God Bless You for your willingness to help those less fortunate.
THANK YOU!!! I live less than a mile from the destruction in Limestone County (no major damage, few shingles gone and a couple of limbs from a tree–I’m so blessed!) and can say that it will be much appreciated and you will be welcomed like family by many strangers! May God keep you safe on your journey here and home. Thank you again!
I live in Pennsylvania and I don’t know anyone who lives in the areas that were affected by the tornadoes, but as a United States citizen, I feel it is my responsibility to help those in need. I’ve never donated to relief efforts before, but I feel that if I am to start then I’m going to start where it counts the most; here at home. I’ve never met anyone in this community but I’ve donated what I could spare and I still don’t feel that it is enough.
Tears are just pouring down my face, Christy you bet I’ll repost and talk to my Mother’s of Twins Club this evening about taking up a donation for THe Rock! Prayers still being sent for those who have lost so much and thanksgiving for all that were spared!
Christy, First I am so happy to hear you and your precious family are ok! At the same time I am also saddened by this tragedy. You can rest assured we will not forget our brothers and sisters! We are called to help! The media is only interested in what’s new so we cannot put too much hope in that! Our hope is in Christ!
Our church here in Northeast Ohio is coming next week and with a zeal only the Lord can provide! Praise Him!
My heart goes out to you and your community. I share with you the fact that I too called your community home about 3 years ago. Living in Clarksville, Tn we had high winds that brought down many trees and power lines, but nothing compared to what you are dealing with. My prayers are with you. Keep us posted.
Christy, First of all, I am happy to hear that you and yours are ok after the tornados and my thoughts and prayers go out to those in your community that did not fare as well. Thank you for letting us know someplace specific to the community that we could donate funds to – so many times one is unsure how a donation will be spent. While I believe in helping other nations during their time of crisis – it is even more important to me to take care of our own. God bless you all.
My son’s high school baseball team would like to collect items and send to a community that is not getting as much attention as the bigger communities. Can you let me know where I they can send items?
Thank you and God bless.
Florida
Kim,
http://www.myfoxal.com has a lot of information as to where help is needed.
Hello Christy and all working/volunteering during this tornado relief. We just donated a little bit of money and were happy to help. We were hit close by, not even 50 yards away and thought our home was a gonner. We made it through and have all of you in our hearts and prayers. Thinking of y’all up here in Celina Ohio. God Bless all of you!
I just linked and posted on my FB page and sent out a request to all my fb family to help also. Lighting a candle for y’all now. God Bless all of you.
Christy, I will share your post. Thank you for keeping us informed. If your readers would like another way to help, I wanted to let you know that I am donating my entire commission in May to the Red Cross to help the victims of the tornadoes. I can’t imagine what they are going through! For more info, go to http://www.diane.willowhouse.com. I’m putting the word out wherever I can – I want to raise a lot of money for our neighbors in the South.
We have friends and relatives living in AL but they were spared damage/harm from last Wed. storms.
My brother will most likely be helping those affected through his church. He went into N. C. once and helped rebuild and repairs homes affected by floods.
Our church sent money and water(gallonms). These people will need our help for a long time to come. We cant just send a “band aid” and then forget them. God bless everyone affected.
I shared this on my FB page, and then I reposted this on my blog. I hope you don’t mind. I linked back to this page and credited you with the post.
Thank you, Christy. Citizen journalism at its best. Thank you for helping those who need it, for helping those of us who do not live in the region understand, and most of all for setting such a wonderful example with your grateful heart.
My heart is full of sadness for this area. My son lives this area and it aches to know that we heard from him to say he’s okay (We are in Georgia), but there are other people that can not hear from their loved ones.
Someone once said, “If I needed a drink, would you offer me a drink in my time of thirst?” I would give up every last drop to help a “friend” in need.
God Bless!
I just watched a reporter from Tampa who is in Tuscaloosa. They interviewed a woman who, along with losing everything else, lost her glasses in the storm. There is a company called VSP Vision Care, http://vspblog.com/, that has gone to the area to offer free eye exams and eyeglasses who need them. As someone who’s blind as a bat without glasses, I cannot imagine how disorienting that must be.
I cannot thank you enough for posting this. I have read this with tears pouring down my face and my heart breaking for these people.
I have wondered where I could make a donation that would go to help these people and thanks to you, I have just made a donation through PayPal.
I will not give anythying to big charitable organizations; i still remember the millions of dollars that poured into one famous organization to help the people of Princeville, N.C. rebuild their lives after the entire town was flooded after a hurricane and those poor people did not get a lot of that money and are still trying to rebuild their lives after a lot of years
God bless you and yours for your loving spirit.
Christy, I just made a donation. May the Lord bless your community. I am blessed every day and even though I lost my job and an unemployed, God has taken wonderful care of me. So in the spirit of our Lord, I hope even the small donation I was able to make will help someone in need. There are so many people and communities affected and so much need, it truly breaks my heart. I hope everyone will come together and help one another even in small ways. Small ways make a big difference. God bless you all
Is there somewhere clothing can be shipped for distribution?
Christy,
Thank you for giving me a place to give that I feel good about. I trust you and your heart. So our money goes to The Rock. Prayers and love from Missouri to Alabama.
Heather
Thank you for the information, Christy! It is a great resource for those of us who don’t live in Alabama but seek to support a reputable organization’s tornado relief efforts. With your recommendation, I’m very comfortable that my donation will be put to good use.
Christy thank you so much for posting this. My heart goes out to all the families affected by this disaster. I am so glad your family is ok. Friends of my mom and dad lost their home as well. I am not sure of the town they live in but they are in Alabama. I really did not realize the scope of the damage and I am so grateful you opened my eyes to it. I posted this on my fb page to get the word out. I will check out your recommendations for donations, would love to help any way I could.
thank you! gald to see somebody else talking about us! i live in northeast alabama & where several communities here were devestated, but you wouldn’t know it. you’re exactly right – we are our own media.
Is there any place in your community where help can also be sent?
Christy,
I am going to blog about this and have been facebooking it since the start. I grew up in Iuka,ms and will be moving back to Nashville this year. I lived for 41years of my life in North Ms, North ala.and TN. I have been to all the Ala areas hit by the tornado and my best friend lives in Hackleburg. We used to play football with Smithville ms.It breaks my heart and I hate that the royal wedding and Obamas death have taken the attention away from the disaster here. Thanks for posting this.
Christy, thanks for posting this — I posted it on facebook…where I have to say I’m really tired of reading about all the different ways of looking at the recent news about bin Laden’s death…and no reminder that the aftermath of the tornadoes isn’t over just because it isn’t mentioned in the news…
Praying for these families, I will definitely check out The Rock to see how I can help. I was in a devastating tornado at age 10 in Wichita Falls, TX on April 10, 1979, so I can relate to the heartache and loss they are feeling. Even though I was young, that terror-filled day still affects me when bad weather comes along. We lost everything, but our family was spared through the Grace of God and we lived in FEMA housing for quite a while, but we had a roof over our heads and for that I was thankful. Christy, thanks for all you and others in your area are doing for these families….you are showing God to them through your actions of loving and caring.
Christy:
We’re in NC (about 20 mi. north of the tornado damaged Sanford). So many of us want to help, but we’re not sure how OR if what we give is even reaching you ALL in Alabama. With the direct link to Paypal( “The Rock” has provided), it has allowed us to contribute, knowing it will get to you all. Thank you for posting how to help, and being so “hands on” in your community.
Valarie
I am so sorry for the damage done in your homestate. I cannot possibly imagine what the victims are going through. My husband is in Cullman Alabama with a team of volunteers with Lowes trying tol help in anyway possible . Our church will continue to pray for your previous state to have a quick recovery. I plan on volunteering with the red cross a soon as my husband is back home to be with our children I have prayed that you and your family was safe through these horrific storms. May god bless you, your family, and all states affected by these record breaking storms.
Truly in my prayers ,
Leslie D. Wilkerson
God Bless you and the many others that are providing food, clothing, etc. to those that have lost everything. Thank God their lives were spared! The USA is such a strong nation and I am so proud to be an American! We all pull together when tragic happens to help our fellow neighbors!!!
Again, God Bless all of you!!!!
Through the eyes of the media we see mostly only the worst of humanity on a daily basis. I wish we could put every act of kindness that is has been shown since the devastating tornadoes ripped through our state on television. So many people have pitched in to help our state. During this time there is no Republicans, Democrats, Auburn fans, Alabama fans etc… We are just neighbor helping neighbor. I’m truly seeing God’s commandment to “love our neighbor as ourselves” being put into action. I want to thank anyone who has made a monetary donation to help Alabama’s disaster victims, to anyone who has sent supplies, food or offered up prayers to God for us or put their arms around someone who is hurting and gave them a hug. I dodged the bullet this time but I am a survivor of the 1974 tornado outbreak in Alabama that destroyed my family home. I want anyone who has helped in any way to know how much it means to the families that are suffering right now. So many acts of kindness were shown to me and my family when we went through this and I remember how that made me feel (even 37 years later). They will never forget it. God Bless You, Tanya Edwards
When something happens like these tornadoes it is truly a blessing that we so quickly turn to help our neighbors and share the best we can. We live in the FL panhandle and the last big hurricane we got here the day after the storm the radio was announcing which parking lot which group/club/church from Alabama was set up at to hand out ice, water, food, baby supplies. In the near 40 years of being around these storms I’ve never had a group from Alabama that would take a penny for their help. I hope we can be as good friends and neighbors back to you in your needs.
Thanks for sending this information out. I donated to the Rock Church.
Hello Christy, our spiritual group has taken up a collection for this tornado releif and will be sending a nice donation down. We know that help is still needed and we are happy to help. They were going to go through the Red Cross until I shared with them this one and let them know that 100% of the money is used for releif and none for admin cost. They were ALL for this! God bless all of you.
Cassie, I know it will be greatly appreciated and put to good use. ~HUGS~ to you all for all you are doing!