The American Red Cross continues to provide disaster relief since several rounds of heavy rain and two tornadoes came through Mississippi starting on February 20th.
The National Weather Service confirmed two tornado touchdowns in Columbus (Lowndes County) and Burnsville (Tishomingo County). Flooding caused by the rainfall has many people displaced from their home.
As a result, the Red Cross is providing shelter and feeding operations in as many as four counties.
There have been nearly 70 registrants at the Red Cross shelter in Columbus, and Lowndes County Board Supervisor Jeff Smith thanked the Red Cross for its presence.
“[The American Red Cross] is a blessing when people are being displaced and don’t have access to a warm meal. This will give people some comfort in knowing that people will have a place to sleep while they think their process for recovery,” said Smith.
Additionally, the Red Cross is distributing relief supplies such as hygiene items and household cleaning goods, and damage assessments are underway. Working closely with government and community partners, the Red Cross shares information about other resources available to help survivors regain from their loss.
The Mississippi Red Cross workforce supporting the current disaster response is 107. An extra 16 are soon to join after participating in a Red Cross training held a short drive from the area devastated by the twister in Columbus.
As of today, the following Red Cross managed shelters are open to the public:
Issaquena County:
Mayersville Multi-Purpose Building
132 Court St.
Mayersville, MS 39113
Humphreys County:
Humphreys County Multi-Purpose Building
417 Silver City Rd
Belzoni, MS
Lowndes County:
Townsend Community Center
1001 15th Street South
Columbus, MS
All Red Cross assistance is free thanks to donations. Here’s an overview of the Red Cross service delivery as of today.
- Provided 4 shelters (3 remain open)
- Served 3,639 meals and 2,544 snacks
- Supplied 296 cleanup kits and 118 comfort kits (hygiene kits)
- Made 261 health contacts
- Offered 8 spiritual care
- A total of 33 vehicles traveling impacted areas
Shortly after Mississippi was hit by two tornadoes, Lee County, Alabama was also hit by an EF-4 tornado that took the lives of 23 people.
Families First for Mississippi is now collecting bottled waters and will be traveling to Alabama tomorrow to distribute to tornado victims. Meteorologists determined it brought 170 mph winds and left a track almost a mile wide. The path of destruction from the EF-4 is at least 24 miles long, said Chris Darden, meteorologist in charge at the National Weather Service’s Birmingham office.
