Western Kentucky — Iowa volunteers with the American Red Cross are already providing help in the South after weekend storms spun off at least 50 tornadoes in eight states.
Josh Murray, spokesman for the Iowa-Nebraska region of the Red Cross, says most of the Iowans are now in western Kentucky, where the damage is extreme and one entire town was nearly wiped off the map.
Driving those white emergency response vehicles, or ERVs, the Iowa volunteers will be providing a range of services, from feeding and sheltering tornado survivors to helping them mentally recover from the massive, devastating storm.
The number of dead is expected to exceed 100 with many dozens injured and a few thousand left homeless. A Kentucky candle factory was hit by a twister as was an Amazon warehouse in Illinois and a nursing home in Arkansas. One tornado was reportedly on the ground for more than 220 miles.
Iowans who would like to help financially can call 800-RED CROSS, log on to www.redcross.org, or text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation.
