Des Moines, IA- Emergency responders are stretched thin after severe storms on Friday that spun off at least 17 tornadoes in Iowa, damaging multiple homes and claiming the life of one person.
American Red Cross Nebraska-Iowa Region Communications Director Josh Murray tells Radio Iowa it was a massive storm that left a large amount of damage in its wake, in multiple counties.
“All the way from into Nebraska and all the way across through the Des Moines area and a little bit into eastern Iowa, so it’s been busy,” Murray says. “The focus right now is on getting some connections made with those who have been affected, getting them some relief supplies, cleanup supplies, and then setting up some casework that’ll help them get on the road to recovery, so, what are their needs going forward and how can we support those.”
Murray says that for Iowans who’d like to help with the relief effort, there are multiple avenues.
“Go to redcross.org/donate and make a donation. That would help us. That’s really the best way for us to address the needs,” Murray says. “Different areas need different things so instead of providing goods or something that might not be what that area needs, the financial donations allow us to be more flexible with what we need to address, what someone needs in this location compared to another location.”
Donations can also be made over the phone by calling 1-800-HELP NOW.
