On December 10 and 11th, more than 30 tornadoes tore through several states, leaving at least 90 people dead, businesses destroyed and hundreds of families homeless. While determination over the storm’s full impact will last for days, if not weeks, damages are estimated worth billions of dollars. Support will be needed in the immediate, short-term response to repair and rebuild damaged homes and businesses, as well as support for families of victims injured or killed, first responders and those on the tornadoes’ direct paths.
Due the large geography and the level of damage, the long-term recovery will take years, and will require not only restoration of property and businesses, but also environmental clean-up. Victims of the storms will require long-term mental health and trauma support.
To learn more about the organizations that are providing support, funding and services to impacted communities, see the detailed list and links below.
Resources and Places to Give
Airlink – Airlink works with aviation and logistics partners to transport relief workers and emergency supplies of reputable non-governmental organizations (NGOs) responding to disasters. Airline is prepositioned to respond with transportation needs for partners on the ground. They are in discussions with airline and NGO partners to determine immediate and longer-term needs.
American Red Cross – ARC provides emergency disaster relief, including shelters, meals and snacks, health and mental health support, clean-up supplies, hygiene kits etc., to communities affected by disasters. Supporting shelter operations, staging staff at county Emergency Operation Centers, feeding, supply distribution.
Americares– Americares is actively reaching out to partners in five states. They have 124 local partners across those states and 3 national partners also active in this area with whom to coordinate response efforts. Americares maintains an emergency pharmacy stocked with essential medicines, vaccines and medical supplies that can be delivered quickly in times of crisis. They work to: Meet urgent health needs of displaced and impacted survivors, restore health services for the most vulnerable and address the mental health and psychosocial needs of frontline health workers and responders.
Aspire Appalachia– Aspire Appalachia develops and operates programs to improve the livelihoods of people and animals in the Eastern Kentucky region.
Center for Disaster Philanthropy – The CDP Disaster Recovery Fund allows donors to target contributions to meet specific philanthropic goals for any domestic disaster to support medium- to long-term recovery work. CDP is collecting funds to support the long-term recovery of communities impacted by these storms.
Community Foundation of West Kentucky – CFWK improves the quality of life in Western Kentucky, both today and in the future. CFWK has set up a fund to collect monetary donations to support the recovery efforts across Western Kentucky.
Convoy of Hope – Convoy of Hope operates in several different program areas: Children’s Feeding, Community Outreach, Disaster Response, Agriculture, Rural Compassion and Women’s Empowerment. Convoy of Hope is responding with relief supplies, including tarps, food, water, cleanup supplies, and other necessities.
CrowdSource Rescue – CrowdSource Rescue is a Texas-based disaster response nonprofit that helps connect those who need help with those who can help during natural disasters. They are neighbors helping neighbors.
Eight Days Of Hope – Eight Days of Hope is a Christian, nonprofit organization that exists to love and serve those in need. They are a national organization that responds to disasters across the country, helping to rebuild homes, communities, and lives.
Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland – Feeding America, Kentucky’s Heartland’s mission is to serve those in need by acquiring and distributing donated food, grocery items, and government commodities throughout almost 16,000 square miles of Kentucky. They serve 42 of Kentucky’s counties through a network of more than 225 partner agencies.
Global Empowerment Mission – The disaster relief nonprofit based in Miami is sending trucks of supplies to western Kentucky, in partnership with Racing Louisville and Louisville City Football Club.
Good360 – Good360 takes a holistic approach to disaster recovery, starting with the impacted communities’ immediate needs (even during the evacuation stage) and committing to being there for the long-term, always focused on delivering the correct goods to the right people at the right time. (They are an excellent resource for corporate in-kind donations).
HealthCare Ready – Healthcare Ready helps to strengthen healthcare supply chains through collaboration with public health and private sectors by addressing pressing issues before, during and after disasters. By working with their partners on the frontlines, they ready the healthcare supply chain to respond to and recover from disruptions in the communities where they serve, and as a convener of industry and government, they safeguard patient health by providing solutions to critical problems and best practices for healthcare preparedness and response.
Information Technology Disaster Resource Center (ITDRC) – ITDRC harnesses the collective resources of the technology community to provide no-cost Information, Communications, and Technology (ICT) solutions that connect survivors and responders in crisis. ITDRC provides communities with the technical resources necessary to continue operations and begin recovery after a disaster. projectConnect is aimed at connecting rural and underserved communities to assist students and others who need internet access. It costs $3500/site for the hardware and teams to set up each site; communities will keep the hardware afterward.
International Medical Corps (IMC) – First response organization providing medical relief in the face of disasters, crises or conflict. IMC is ready to deploy staff, supplies and equipment to support local responding organizations.
Mercy Chefs – Mercy Chefs is a faith-based nonprofit disaster relief organization providing restaurant-quality meals to survivors of disasters. They have deployed to the affected area to provide feeding for those in need.
Salvation Army – The Salvation Army mobilized equipment and personnel to assist with relief efforts in all impacted states. They provide food, nourishment and water and will also be engaged in recovery efforts.
Samaritan’s Purse – Samaritan’s Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people worldwide. Samaritan’s Purse is ready to respond quickly to help homeowners in need. Sending volunteers and supplies to several locations.
SBP (formerly St. Bernard Project) – SBP, headquartered in New Orleans, has a Disaster Corps positioned to respond immediately to provide boots-on-the-ground recovery assistance. SBP seeks to rebuild homes quickly after disasters by mobilizing private sector innovations and assigning a single point of contact to make the home rebuilding process faster and more predictable. They share rebuilding innovations with other rebuilding organizations to allow for efficient, predictable recovery on a national scale.
Team Rubicon – Team Rubicon is an international disaster response nonprofit that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to provide relief to communities in need rapidly. Team Rubicon Greyshirt volunteers are working with county emergency managers and will offer assistance to restore safety and access to the community and its residents. Response services could include chainsaw operations to remove fallen or hazardous trees, and debris removal.
Texas Baptist Men – TBM delivers help, hope, and healing to millions of hurting people and raises up the next generation to do likewise. TBM has mobilized and is on the ground in Kentucky and other states providing support.
World Central Kitchen – By partnering with organizations on the ground and activating a network of food trucks and emergency kitchens, WCK provides freshly made, nutritious meals to survivors of disasters quickly and effectively. Prepare fresh meals, never pre-packaged, made with locally sourced proteins and vegetables.
World Vision – World Vision partners with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice.
