DEVASTATION IN SO MANY AREAS

DRT is deploying a 1st Response Coordinating Team to Joplin, MO. A relief effort will be set up working with the Mt. Hope Church in Joplin.
To volunteer in any of these areas, please register on the DRT website. http://www.churchesofchristdrt.org/
Donations are greatly needed as well to help continue helping those in such need following disasters. Tax deductible donations can be made online at the above DRT website or can be sent by postal mail to:

CHURCHES OF CHRIST DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM
810 HOLLYWOOD BLVD.
WEST MELBOURNE, FLORIDA 32904

DRT will also be continuing the relief efforts currently established in the Tuscaloosa, AL area as well as continuing to help the Muscle Shoals area as needed to reach out to several surrounding communities.



Below is an excerpt of an update from one of our coordinators, Harry Mansfield. Harry's daughter and son-in-law live very near to the destruction in Joplin as well as Harry's son-in-law being part of the EMS that was called into Joplin.
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We just got off the phone with my daughter.
The hospital you see in the pictures from Weather Channel is in the southwest part of the city and is aprox 3-4 miles from Range Line the main commercial north-south street where the Wal-mart, Home Depot and Sports Authority stores were hit. The area bettween those locations is heavily residential.
The tornado continued on through more residential areas after crossing Range Line (If you look on a map Range Line may be listed as Bus 71.) I worked quite a bit in Joplin in the 80's and Denise lives 40 miles west of the city and we estimate that appox 25-30% of the city was destroyed. Also, Denise's husband is a Firefighter and Emergancy Management Specilist and has been deployed to Joplin. He says they are requesting a large number of body bags. The stores that were demolished are usually heavily occupied on a Sunday afternoon. There was very little or no warrning given on the appoach of this tornado, and the people in those stores were unable to get out. The original medical emergency center that was setup has been over run and two additional centers have been setup in schools. The Joplin metro area has an estimated population of 80,000 to 100,000. Jasper Co. MO has a total population of 117,000 with most of that in the Joplin vacinity. Also many of the cell phone towers are down and most of the land line commuincation in Joplin is out, so making phone contact is nearly impossible. Denise will keep me updated as she gets more info.