Help Alabama with tornado relief after deadly storms
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As of now, five people are reported dead in Calhoun county after the tornados struck on afternoon Thursday March 25. Airplanes at the Centerville airport are broken, tossed and strewn across the area. Keep reading to find resources to provide tornado relief in Alabama.
Major damages across Alabama
A deadly supercell struck Alabama the afternoon of March 25, causing tornadic weather across the Central Alabama area. If you’re not familiar, supercells are the least common type of thunderstorm but can produce severe weather. This includes damaging winds, large hail and weak to violent tornadoes.
Sadly, five people died in Calhoun county from the storm. Calhoun Coroner Pat Brown announced that four adults were killed in Ohatchee—three of them in one family. A female was killed in the Wellington area as well.
At the height of the storm, at least 30,000 people lost power. Thankfully that number has come down a little bit. PowerOutage.Us reported 24,096 people without power this morning in the following Alabama counties:
- Hale
- Bibb
- Shelby
- Jefferson
- St. Clair
- Calhoun
- Chilton
- Randolph
Shelby County Sheriff’s Department is asking people to avoid damaged areas. Sites of damage are still in dangerous conditions and first-responders can work quicker and safer without pedestrians there.
Kevin Henderson with SkyBama captured this damage along Eagle Point and AL119 with his drone.
The supercell cleared out of Alabama later in the night. Yet its damage continued on to Georgia. Tornados struck the city of Newnan, southwest of Atlanta, roughly around midnight.
Newnan High School suffered significant damages. Coweta County Schools cancelled class and are hosting a Newnan High School cleanup Friday March 26 to clear away debris.
Alabama schools are delaying or closed
Several Alabama school systems are either closed or experiencing a two hour delay on Friday March 26. Roads are flooded or closed from damage. These following schools will have delays:
- Attalla City School—closed
- Cherokee County Schools—closed
- Cullman County Schools—two hour delay
- DeKalb County Schools—two hour delay
- Etowah County Schools—closed
- Fort Payne City Schools—two hour delay.
- Gadsden City Schools—closed
- Hale County—closed
Resources for tornado relief and places to support
If you do not currently live near any of these chapters, considering donating to a Red Cross or United Way below. You can also donate blood to help with medical emergencies complicated by the storm damage. We can rebuild from this if we help each other.
Alabama Power
You can report a power outages to Alabama Power here. If there are downed power lines or other dangerous electrical conditions, call 800-888-2726.
Ohatchee Senior Center tornado relief drive
Donation and distribution of supplies is at the Ohatchee Senior Center behind the Ohatchee Town Hall. Beginning Friday March 26 at 10AM, Ohatchee will accept:
- tarps
- bottled water
- diapers and wipes
- baby formula
- paper towels and other paper products
- toiletries
- cleanup kits
They are not accepting clothes donations. Ohatchee tornado relief drive is asking that you please make monetary donations to the United Way of East Central Alabama. If you live in Calhoun County, you can fill out disaster assistance form here.
- Location: 7805 AL-77, Ohatchee, AL 36271
- When: starting Friday March 26 at 10AM
Pelham Rec Center tornado relief drive
The Pelham Rec Center will be a drop-off location for donations for crisis relief.
Items needed:
- tarps
- trash bags
- cleaning supplies
- hygiene products
- feminine products
- hand sanitizer
- face masks
- diapers and wipes
- socks (multiple sizes)
- ensure
- pillows and blankets
- baby formula
- pet food
- Gatorade
- bottled water
- laundry detergent
The Pelham Rec Center is open from 7AM-8PM weekdays for donations.
- Location: 2020 Ball Park Rd, Pelham, AL 35124
- Hours: Monday-Friday 7AM-8PM
Oak Mountain High School tornado relief drive
They are serving as a collection and distribution center for needs tomorrow and Saturday. Drop off items from 8AM-12PM, and people in need can pick up from 1PM-5PM.
Items collected are:
- personal hygiene items
- blankets
- non-perishable food items
- bottled water
- feminine products
- towels
- large totes or bags to carrying items
- general cleaning supplies
- paper products (plates, disposable utensils, paper towels)
- gift cards
Please drop off items at the OMHS cafeteria located near the backside of the school.
- Location: 5476 Caldwell Mill Rd, Birmingham, AL 35242
- When: Friday March 26-Saturday March 27
- Time: Drop off 8AM-12PM | Pick up 1PM-5PM
Central East Alabama Chapter of American Red Cross
- Serving: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Chambers, Coosa, Dallas, Elmore, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Pike, Russell, Tallapoosa and Wilcox counties
- Contact: Website | Call | Donate
North Alabama Chapter of American Red Cross
- Serving: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Etowah, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties
- Contact: Website | Call | Donate
Central-West Alabama Chapter of American Red Cross
- Serving: Bibb, Chilton, Cullman, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Perry, Pickens, Lamar, Marion, Sumter, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Winston counties
- Contact: Website | Call | Donate
Mid-Alabama Chapter of American Red Cross
- Serving: Blount, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, Jefferson, Randolph, Shelby, St. Clair and Talladega counties
- Contact: Website | Call | Donate
United Way of Central Alabama
United Way of East Central Alabama
Our work is not over yet. Stay tuned for more updates on where you can donate, volunteer and how you can help animals and habitats affected by the storms. Checkout this article from Bham Now on tornado relief in Birmingham.
We hope you stay safe Alabama.
If you know of any more tornado relief efforts, let us know on Facebook and Instagram.
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