Help for Tornado Victims in Jefferson County, AL

Today I am deviating a little from my usual SHIP information to talk a little about the recent disaster which has affected us in Central Alabama and offer some information on available help.

The information I will give below primarily deals with Jefferson County, AL, even though the disaster affected many areas elsewhere in the state and all over the south.

On Wednesday, April 27, 2011, Jefferson County along with many other counties in Alabama was devastated by at least 70 tornadoes. There was a supercell storm which traveled about 450 miles from Mississippi, through Alabama and up the east coast which spawned these violent tornadoes.

The National Weather Service reported that this supercell storm spawned the tornado which was on the ground for 80 miles and at times was 1.5 miles wide and reached an EF-4 intensity (190 mph) and caused so much destruction in Alabama.

Some of the areas in Jefferson County, Alabama, which were affected by this tornado and others were Pleasant Grove, Concord, Pratt City, Moody, Fairfield, Fultondale, Gardendale, Altadena, Cahaba Heights, Pell City along with numerous others.

Houses, churches, and businesses were literally flattened to the ground. High winds caused trees to snap in two or caused them to be uprooted and downed all over Jefferson County and those structures which were spared were left without power.

Worst of all was the loss of life. So many people either died that day or in the days that followed as a result of this natural catastrophe.

Here is some information you can use to find help:

1.  RED CROSS SHELTER in Jefferson County, Alabama:

         The Boutwell Auditorium

         1931 8th Avenue, North
         Birmingham, AL

        Dora First Baptist Church
        1440 Sharon Boulevard
        Dora, AL 35062

        Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church
        1348 Hueytown Road
        Bessemer, AL 35203

2.  POWER and GAS:

• Alabama Power Company - Call 1-800-888-2726 to report power outages or downed power lines.  The power company urges all customers to avoid touching any of those lines or any debris touching them.
• Alagasco - Call 1-800-292-4008 or your local fire department to report any smell of gas (similar to the smell of rotten eggs).  The gas company urges all customers to leave their home immediately and call from your cell phone or from a neighbor's home.

3.  INSURANCE:  These are Claims HOT Lines and web addresses for the biggest insurers in Alabama:

• State Farm:  1-800-732-5246   http://www.statefarm.com/
• ALFA:  1-800-964-2532          http://www.alfains.com/
• AllState:  1-800-255-7828        http://www.allstate.com/ 
• Farmers:  1-899-435-7764        http://www.farmers.com/

4.  Tastee Kitchen, 1324 Pinson Valley Parkway in Tarrant City is offering free food for people affected by the tornado near Tarrant.  You will need to provide ID that shows that you are from one of the areas affected by the tornadoes.

5.  Cedar Grove Baptist Church, 2001 Cedar Grove Road, Leeds, has a soup kitchen open in the evenings for anyone needing dinner.

6.  The Salvation Army is running food vehicles for first responders and tornado victims.  Three are in the Pleasant Grove area and one is in the Pratt City area.  More units are coming from out of town.

7.  Mountaintop Community Church, 225 Centerview Drive in Vestavia Hills, is serving free meals for those without power and victims of the storm beginning at 6 p.m.  The church will also cook any food that might spoil because of lack of power.

8.  United Way of Central Alabama.  Call 211.  United Way will match volunteers with needs once they've assessed the situation.

9.  The Greater Birmingham Humane Society has a lost and found area on its website that might help pet owners find animals lost in the storms.

10.  The Moody Fire Department, 670 Park Avenue, is a command center in Moody.  If citizens in Moody need help clearing debris from their property, they should call city clerk Patsy Beard at 640-0302.

11.  Jackson-Olin High School.  We service the students of Pratt City and McDonald Chapel Areas.  The schools are open to accept donations for the students and their families affected by the tornadoes.  Donations will also be accepted for the remainder of the school year and through the summer.  We are in need of bottled water, gatorade, baby bottles, blankets, pampers, wipes, clothes, personal items, soap, toothpaste, tooth brushes, hand sanitizer, snacks, non-perishable items.

Other area organizations and churches offering aid and support for victims of the tornadoes:

1.  Kuttin' Up Hair Salon in Trussville

2.  Massey, Stotser and Nichols Law Firm at 1780 Gadsden Highway (in Trussville.)

3.  The Christian Service Mission at 3600 3rd Avenue, S in Birmingham

4.  Temple Emanu-El and the Collat Jewish Family Services Center

5.  NorthPark Baptist Church on Deerfoot Parkway in Trussville

6.  East Lake United Methodist Church at 7753 First Avenue, South, Birmingham, AL (East Lake)

7.  Palmerdale Untied Methodist Church at 7776 Highway 75 in Palmerdale, AL

8.  24e Fitness at 1550-B Montgomery Highway in Hoover, AL

9.  Prince of Peace Church at 4600 Preserve Parkway in Hoover, AL

10.  Whole Foods Market in Mountain Brook, AL

11.  The Birmingham Dream Center in Woodlawn

12.  The Church of the Highlands, Grants Mill Campus, 901 Overton Road, Mountain Brook, AL

All of the above organizations or locations are either collecting donations or items to give victims of the tornadoes. 

And, of course, our office - the Office of Senior Citizens' Services in Birmingham, AL (serving all of Jefferson County, Alabama) is open and available for help in locating services and help for many services to the elderly citizens in Jefferson County, AL.  We, unfortunately cannot furnish any money, but we are certainly a clearing house for all sorts of information about available services and phone numbers where you will be able to find help.  Please call us at 205-325-1416 if we can be of any assistance to you or anyone you know who was a victim of these devastating storms.

Until next time...

Ashley