Magnolia Disaster Relief

Vital Stats

James O

Alpharetta, GA

  • people helped10000
  • People Doing It 75

The Problem

After the tornadoes that swept through much of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia on April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa received a lot of media attention, and thus received many supplies. However, dozens of smaller towns in rural AL, MS, and GA received nearly no assistance. The affected families were mostly uninsured, so they will receive nearly no governmental assistance, and national organizations such as the Red Cross can only stay to help for so long. We are currently helping 9 small towns: Ider (AL), Webster's Chapel (AL), Phil Campbell (AL), Trenton (GA), Warm Springs (GA), Nettleton (MS), Montpelier (MS), Ringgold (GA), and Hackelburg (AL). The percentage of uninsured in these towns is staggering. For example, in Ider (AL), about 40 families sustained significant damage to their homes. Of those 40 families, only four had insurance. We collect supplies such as food, toiletries, clothes, water, furniture, and appliances to help rebuild families' lives in these small towns.

Plan of Action

The first step to creating our organization was just getting the word out about us. Thanks to several news stories, we received donations from literally hundreds of people throughout Georgia. Then we had to find transportation to get the supplies to the places that needed it. Through luck and another news article, we had five different trucking companies volunteer their services to transport the items. We are still accepting donations which are being organized into "hit kits" that have everything 50 people need to survive for two days. This includes water, food, cooking equipment, and tarps. These hit kits will be pre-made and stored in several different locations in Alabama and Georgia so that if another disaster strikes, they can be delivered immediately.
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