The death toll continues to rise in the wake of 34 tornadoes that tore a swath of destruction across six mid-southern states Friday night.
At least 84 people lost their lives and countless more were injured as the twisters ravaged Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. In Kentucky alone, the death toll is at 74, with 109 still missing. Among the fatalities were a couple and two of their five children. Another 14 are confirmed dead in the other states combined.
The National Weather Service reports that seven of the tornadoes were rated EF-3s, and one continued for approximately 227 miles across four states, 200 of those in Kentucky alone.
Incredible.
And heartbreaking.
No doubt by now, readers have seen photos of the incredible destruction, from the ravaged Kentucky candle factory and Illinois Amazon warehouse to flattened neighborhoods, downtowns and even nearly entire communities.
And as we view the media coverage from the safety and comfort of our living rooms, we all must be asking, “What can we do?”
The answer?
A lot.
Even from afar.
Obviously, many organizations and charities are responding to this emergency, too many for us to mention here. However, here is a handful of credible agencies that are accepting monetary donations to help the tornado victims today and into the upcoming months:
• GoFundMe has created a centralized hub with verified fund-raisers to help those affected by the tornadoes. It is being updated with new fund-raisers as they are verified. Visit https://www.gofundme.com/c/act/tornado-outbreak-fundraisers.
• The Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, created by Gov. Andy Beshear, is collecting donations for victims in the western portion of the state. The URL is https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief.
• The American Red Cross is accepting contributions at https://www.redcross.org/about-us/our-work/disaster-relief/tornado-relief.html You also may use the Red Cross Blood Donor app or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 gift.
• The Salvation Army is soliciting donations to help tornado victims in Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee at https://give.helpsalvationarmy.org/give/166081/#!/donation/checkout.
• AmeriCares is accepting donations at https://secure.americares.org/site/Donation2?df_id=16685&16685.donation=form1.
• CARE is collecting money to provide food, cash and clean water to the tornado victims. The URL is https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=30736&mfc_pref=T&30736.donation=form1.
Of course, many churches and other charitable organizations are collecting tax-deductible contributions to assist the tornado victims. Just make sure any lesser-known organization is reputable by visiting Charity Navigator or Guidestar before you give.
Friday is expected to go down as having one of the largest and deadliest tornado events in our nation’s history. For hundreds of thousands of Americans, the holidays will not be happy.
In this season of giving, please remember them in whatever way you are able.
Damage is present after a touchdown Thursday, July 29, in southwest Watertown. The line of storms that moved through the Jefferson County area was documented in a story from Fort Atkinson Online, which, in part, read: “As of Aug. 2, the National Weather Service in Milwaukee/Sullivan has reported at least 12 tornado touchdowns associated with a line of severe thunderstorms that worked its way across southern Wisconsin on Thursday, July 29. … No deaths or injuries were reported with Thursday’s storms. Damage reported by the National Weather Service was largely to trees, crops, and some structures.” The full story is here: https://fortatkinsononline.com/national-weather-service-reports-12-tornado-touchdowns-on-july-29/ File photo/National Weather Service.
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