Following the deadliest tornado in the United States for 20 years, residents begin to heal with help from the Red Cross.
Red Cross volunteers are working tirelessly to provide shelter and comfort to those affected by severe weather in five southern states.
A line of thunderstorms and tornadoes swept across the midsection of the United States late Tuesday, killing more than 50 people, injuring scores of others, and destroying dozens of homes and buildings. Red Cross chapters responded immediately during the night, opening shelters and providing comfort to those forced from their homes.
A large majority of damage occurred in Gallatin and Jackson, Tenn. which also had the highest concentration of fatalities. The destruction stretched across five states with media reporting 4 people killed in Alabama, 13 in Arkansas, seven in Kentucky and 28 in Tennessee.
Red Cross shelters are still open in Kentucky and Tennesse where volunteers continue to serve meals and welcomed more than 350 overnight guests last night, immediately following the storms.
The Nashville Area Chapter is operating two shelters while the Jackson Area Chapter continues to work closely with Union University which was badly damaged by the tornadoes. Information about Red Cross shelters is available on a blog (http://redcrosstn.wordpress.com) dedicated to the tornado relief effort.
In addition to providing food and a safe place to stay, trained Red Cross psychosocial health volunteers are available to lend emotional support to those affected.
If you have been affected by the storms, use the Red Cross Safe and Well web site (https://disastersafe.redcross.org) to register yourself as “safe and well.” From a list of standard messages, you can select those that you want to communicate to your family members, letting them know of your well-being.
The American Red Cross provides relief to victims of disasters at home and abroad, collects and distributes nearly half of the nation's blood supply, teaches lifesaving skills, and supports military members and families. The American Red Cross, a charity and not a government agency, depends on voluntary contributions of time, money and blood to perform its humanitarian mission.
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A dog is pictured at a house damaged after tornadoes tore through the neighbourhood in Lafayette, Tennessee, 6 February 2008. (Josh Anderson/Reuters)
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A couple embraces as they survey the remains of their house after tornadoes tore through Lafayette, Tennessee, 6 February 2008. (Josh Anderson/Reuters)
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