Volunteers from the Central Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross are already in Mississippi, which was hit by multiple tornadoes over the weekend, killing at least 25 people.
Emily Holley, with the Nebraska-Iowa Region of the Red Cross, says only a few Iowans are in the disaster area so far, but more will be deploying. “We expect there to be quite a bit more, depending on what the needs are down there,” Holley says. “Disaster assessment is always in motion because the storms are not finished yet, and we expect there to be more devastation.”
It’s estimated at least 27 tornadoes hit five Southern states on Friday night and Saturday morning, though Mississippi was the hardest hit with at least ten tornadoes. An EF-4 twister, with top winds of 170 miles an hour, struck the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, leveling a large portion of the community. Another tornado was on the ground in Mississippi for 59 miles. Holley says the Red Cross teams from Iowa will be offering what’s called mass casualty care.
“We are opening shelters for folks who are unable to stay in their homes, their homes aren’t safe, so obviously, we don’t want them in that situation,” Holley says, “so we are opening up shelters so that folks can get the support that they need, meals, a bed, showers.” While the disaster support volunteers receive extensive training, seeing the widespread damage up-close and comforting survivors can be a difficult job.
“One of the things that we do is, after they have come home, they work with Red Cross staff to kind of debrief the event,” Holley says, “so if they need more support processing that devastation, we are able to provide that for them.”
For Iowans who’d like to offer financial help, Holley says the quickest avenue is the agency’s website. “We want to be able to send more supplies and help down there, and we also want to be prepared for the next disaster, wherever it may strike,” Holley says, “and so the best way to give is going to be at Redcross.org/donate.”
You can also call in a donation toll-free at 1-800-HELP NOW.