When the Middle Flint Chapter office of the American Red Cross was destroyed along with its disaster relief supplies in Thursday’s tornado in Americus, Georgia, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were able to quickly provide more than 400 personal care kits for tornado victims in the Red Cross shelter at First Baptist Church.
Lynn Hicks, Regional Red Cross director, told Church representatives on Friday morning that the most critical need was food. By that evening, 25,000 pounds of food and an additional 500 personal care kits had arrived from the Atlanta storehouse maintained by the Church. By Sunday evening, most of the commodities had been distributed to the needy. Evaluations of future needs are underway.
The initial 400 kits had been in storage in neighboring Albany, Georgia, where the Relief Society — the women’s organization of the Church — had prepared them last May in anticipation of the coming hurricane season. Each kit contains toothpaste, combs and other items for personal care for disaster victims.