At Least 27 Reported Tornadoes Hit Five Southern States: Here’s How To Help

Between March 24-March 26, 2023, at least 27 tornadoes were reported across 5 Southern states. This outbreak of severe weather stretched across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The worst of the damage occurred in Mississippi and Alabama. As of Monday afternoon, at least 25 deaths have been reported in Mississippi and one in Alabama. The worst of it appears to have occurred in Mississippi where, according to ABC News, “one long-track twister left a trail of destruction for about 59 miles.”

The community of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, has been hit incredibly hard. Storm Chaser Edgar O’Neal was on the ground when the storm hit and he later told Good Morning America, "Houses gone. Gas stations destroyed. Trees, power lines blocking entrances everywhere. Stray animals. People wandering the streets clearly in shock. There were a lot of people on the ground helping."

As is typically the case in the wake of such tragedy, we often see some of the best examples of humanity. Many brave folks rush towards the disaster scenes, not away from them. If you are looking for a way to help our neighbors in need, here are several vetted organizations already on the ground in the impacted areas:

GlobalGiving Southeast Tornado Relief Fund

Global Giving’s partners are already at work in the region and they are providing help to meet immediate needs of survivors, such as food, fuel, clean water, hygiene products, and shelter. After completing the initial relief work, this fund will shift its focus towards supporting longer-term recovery efforts run by local, vetted organizations.

Donate here.

Mercy Chefs

Mercy Chefs are already on the ground in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, serving chef-prepared hot meals to those in need as well as first responders twice daily. They continue their mission to “feed body and soul” time and time again, after every natural disaster, and they remain in the area as long as the need exists.

Donate here.

Operation BBQ Relief

The BBQ pit masters who make up Operation BBQ relief have set up shop in Yazoo City, Mississippi, to prepare hearty meals for first responders and for those in need of a hearty meal.

Donate here.

Salvation Army

The Salvation Army had teams mobilize early Saturday morning and they sent units to Rolling Fork, Silver City, Winona, and Amory.

“The Salvation Army had boots on the ground serving meals in four different communities in less than 24 hours,” William Trueblood, Divisional Director of Emergency Disaster Services said in a statement. “We have 4 more units on standby for a continued response. We are working closely with our partners to ensure we do our part to restore sense and normalcy to the lives that have been turned upside down by these events.”

Donate here.

Samaritan’s Purse

The folks at Samaritan's Purse announced on social media that they  “will work out of two bases of operation and deploy volunteer teams from local host churches in Rolling Fork and in Amory.”

Donate here.

Team Rubicon

This veteran led organization is on the ground in Mississippi helping to clear roadways for responders. They will assess the situation to see how they can best serve the community from there.

Donate here.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those in this region as the process of recovery begins. This is a developing story and we will update as we learn more ways to help.

For more Southern Living news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Southern Living.