FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

American Red Cross of Alabama

Contact: Ashley Henyan at ashley.henyan@redcross.org or 404-922-1013

On Sunday afternoon, March 3, 2019, an EF4 tornado ripped through Lee County, Alabama, like “a giant knife scraping the ground” leaving a path of destruction 24 miles long and a mile wide. This EF4 was one of numerous tornadoes reported across Alabama, Georgia, and Florida on March 3, leading to the deadliest tornado outbreak in the United States in the last six years.

The Red Cross took action immediately in the communities of Beauregard and Smith’s Station, Alabama. 

Currently, a team of over 50 Red Cross responders are in Eastern Alabama responding to the tornados – and more are arriving every day. These folks include Integrated Disaster Care Teams (IDCT) consisting of Disaster Mental Health, Health Services, and Disaster Spiritual Care volunteers – who will be meeting individually with affected families. 

DONATED ITEMS

The Red Cross does not need donated items or household goods.  In fact, the Lee County Community has been so generous, donated items have taken over some of the spaces that would be allotted for people in need of safe shelter. 

People who have lost their homes do not need clothing and household items – they have no home to take them to and no place to store these items. Financial donations are what’s really needed now to help the Red Cross serve our neighbors. 

OTHER WAYS TO HELP

• Become a Red Cross volunteer at http://redcross.org/volunteer.
• Download the FREE Red Cross Emergency App for expert advice at your fingertips, on what to do before, during and after disasters strike.
• Take Red Cross training and learn how to save a life with first aid and CPR.
• Give blood – the need is constant – find a blood drive at redcrossbloos.org.
• Make a financial donation to help people affected by this and other disasters at: redcross.org.

About the American Red Cross: 

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission.

For more information, visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org or Twitter at @RedCross.