Category: Tornadoes

ACS is continuing to support the community in the State of Mississippi after the horrific tornado hit last Sabbath morning.  Currently, our Gulf State ACS team is on the ground assisting those whose homes and properties have been ravaged by the strong winds.  Cleaning of these properties can be costly and time-consuming to the owners and in some cases these individuals don’t have the resources nor physical strength to complete these tasks.  Trained ACS volunteers for this type of work have stepped in to help those affected.

ACS South Central teams continue their efforts focusing on the hard-hit areas of Rolling Fort and Amory, Mississippi.  The Amory SDA Church was destroyed, and the Amory Methodist Church is partnering with them to host the Amory distribution site. 

Certified ACS people will provide Emotional & Spiritual Care at one of the distribution sites to those affected by this major disaster. 

………Tornadoes have touched down in Little Rock, Arkansas.  Locals are accessing situation.  ACS will stay abreast of the status of response to this most recent event. 

Update – March 4, 2020

ACS continues to monitor the situation in central Tennessee where 24 people have been confirmed dead. The Disaster Response leadership from the three affected conferences South Central, Kentucky-Tennessee, and Georgia-Cumberland have been attending TN VOAD meetings.

Public Safety and several help organizations have cleanup teams positioned and ready to be of service in Nashville. FEMA also had their Incident Management Assessment Teams (IMAT) headed to the area. The Red Cross has set up five shelters that are currently housing residents whose homes have been damaged.

Donated goods have already started to arrive in Nashville where ACS can be of assistance, if requested. South Central will be the lead conference, with support coming from Kentucky-Tennessee. Additionally, Georgia-Cumberland Conference is willing to lend their shower trailer, should the need present itself.

Multiple tornadoes touched down across central Tennessee early this morning, including one that caused severe damage in downtown Nashville. Twenty-two people are reported to be dead, including several children. Our South Central ACS Director, Lillie Buckingham, has been in communication with the TN VOAD. Our Kentucky-Tennessee ACS Director, Steve Rose, is reaching out to their team leads around the conference assessing the needs of these communities. We are also in contact with the Southern Union Conference ACS Director, Lynell LaMountain, and Georgia-Cumberland ACS leaders Gary Rustad and Rhonda Haight, to offer support as the needs are determined on the ground.

Please keep the affected families in your thoughts and prayers.

Update – June 5, 2019

A Multi-Agency Warehouse has been set up and is operating from 9am-5pm everyday. The Iowa-Missouri ACS DR Team led by Jodi Dickhaut, is working tirelessly managing the Warehouse in partnership with Capital West Christian Church for the city of Jefferson City. The Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) has served over 400 families in Cole County last week. On Saturday, the MARC moved to the city of Eldon to serve the residents of Miller County. Our Mid-American Union director, Roger Wade arrived on the scene for the weekend and will be working directly with Jodi and his team over the next few days.

Our local DR team was asked to coordinate donation collections at a benefit concert that was held on Monday in Jefferson City. Several donation items were collected for distribution to those affected. The team members also took up collections at the Sheriff’s barbeque the next day. The Mayor of Jefferson City, Carrie Tergin, is coordinating with Jodi on the city’s response to its residents. The United Way organization and the Red Cross of Cole and Miller counties are involved in disseminating information through press releases to the community. Jodi has had the opportunity to be interviewed by the local news outlets and has represented the Seventh-day Adventist church and Adventist Community Services Disaster Response admirably.

Deadly tornadoes have been wreaking havoc on the States in the Midwest. One of the States that was severely hit is Missouri. Three individuals were confirmed dead. Our Iowa-Missouri (IA-MO) Conference ACS director Jodi Dickhaut and his Team are currently on the ground in Jefferson City responding to this disaster.

On Sunday, May 26 a levee was over topped which started flooding in Jefferson City itself, making the response efforts challenging by having additional issues to focus on. Moreover, the National Weather Service report has called for rain exceeding 3+ inches over the next seven days with continued tornado threats. The State Emergency Management is working with the local authorities on coordinating a process on how they can deal with the issue since more than just one jurisdiction is being impacted and they are relatively close to each other.

Tons of clothing and other donation items have started arriving at the shelters in Jefferson City and Eldon. Jodi is working with American Red Cross to find an alternative location to where they will be transferred. Once a suitable facility has been secured, the MO ACSDR will take on this task which would require a significant amount of volunteer support. Our Team on the ground has also been asked to help open a couple of Distribution Centers, along with serving as ambassadors rendering Emotional and Spiritual Care to those that have been affected.

Update – March 20, 2019

The local Emergency Management in Lee County, Alabama, was able to secure a 80,000 square foot Warehouse for us to lead and operate. Ray Elsberry, Gulf States ACS Director, is leading in this Effort and is being assisted by Lillie Buckingham and Barbara Barnes, South Central ACS DR Directors. They are working hard to open this facility which will run seven days a week. Forklifts and vital equipment were obtained over the weekend. Other supplies are being delivered and a team is being formed presently. It appears that the doors will be open to receive donations in one or two days. We have created a Needs List for those who would like to assist by donating supplies through Amazon, for the Warehouse.

In addition to Alabama, Georgia was struck by a series of Tornadoes on the same day. Our Georgia-Cumberland ACS DR Team led by Rhonda Haight and John Vauldurzen was managing a Warehouse in Talbotton. Since the damage in Georgia was less severe than Alabama, we had to close operations after a week.

Update – March 11, 2019

Needs List

It has now been over a week since the series of tornadoes struck the states of Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and Michigan. The local conferences continue to be engaged in the Recovery Efforts. Our DR Team from the Georgia-Cumberland Conference, led by Rhonda Haight, is presently operating a Multi-Agency Warehouse in Georgia. In Michigan, the local NGOs have set up Distribution sites to serve the community. We have been in communication with the South Atlantic and Gulf States conferences, discussing efforts focusing on creating a flow of goods that can be distributed to those affected. A church in each of the two conferences has been found viable to serve as a Distribution site or housing for volunteers.

We are also serving in Lee County, Alabama, by providing assistance in the Warehouse that is being run by United Cajun Navy, a local NGO. We informed them of our willingness to work within the structure they desired and of the resources at our disposal like workers, facilities, and knowledge. They were extremely appreciative and requested if we would assess the functionality of the Warehouse. ACS Directors Ray Elsberry of Gulf States and Derrick Lane of South Central were identified as the contact people for these efforts.

Each of these efforts is being managed by local ACS DR teams. The NAD offers support and stays in communication as much as possible. Sometimes we are able to work onsite directly with our teams and other times we contact them via phone calls. In either case, our intent is to encourage their tremendous efforts. This fact was highlighted by South Central holding a new pilot class at Oakwood University in Collections and Emergency Distribution Sites, led by Lillie Buckingham and Barbara Barnes. Derrick Lea, NAD ACS DR Director, joined them to co-teach this new course to over 200 people from four different conferences (Kentucky Tennessee, Georgia Cumberland, Southeastern, and South Central). The session ended with a gala on Sabbath evening where Derrick expressed his gratitude and deep appreciation for the effective work of our local ACS DR teams in serving their community.

A tornado that touched down in Alabama this past Sunday, March 3, has been declared as the deadliest one in the State since 2013. Georgia, the Panhandle area in Florida, and parts of South Carolina were also affected by this violent storm. At least 23 deaths have been reported in Lee County, Alabama.

We have reached out to our local Conferences, South Central and Gulf States, to discuss ways on how we can collaborate to serve the needs of the survivors. The North American Division stands at the ready to help as appropriate and both Conferences have indicated a willingness to work together for the good of the community. The South Central and Gulf States conferences currently have their Disaster Response Teams on the ground conducting field assessments to ascertain how much damage has taken place. Based on these initial reports, we will determine how ACS DR can be of assistance.