Tornado-battered communities face 'complicated' recovery amid pandemic
By
Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Apr 17, 2020 2:52 PM EST
The American Red Cross is helping people across multiple states after recent tornadic activity while maintaining social distancing due to COVID-19.
Over 100 tornadoes ripped through the South during Easter weekend, leaving extensive damage behind from Texas to South Carolina and into the mid-Atlantic. More than 36 people were killed due to the violent weather, according to The Associated Press.
Some of the most substantial tornadoes of the outbreak included a monster EF4 twister that was over 2 miles wide in Mississippi, a new record size for the state, a powerful EF3 twister that leveled hundreds of homes around Monroe, Louisiana, and an EF3 tornado that pummeled Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The disastrous weather has made life even more difficult for many already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, including those usually on the front lines of storm recovery.
The American Red Cross is responding to the current disaster aftermath in the South, but due to COVID-19 and social distancing orders, the organization has had to adjust how it distributes aid and coordinates relief, Stephanie Wagner, interim executive director for the Louisiana Red Cross, told AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer on the AccuWeather Network.
"This environment has certainly come with some unique complications, but the Red Cross is practicing social distancing just like the rest of the nation," Wagner said. "And in this time, with this COVID-19 environment, we're adjusting some of our service delivery to be done so in a virtual capacity. Providing things like financial assistance, mental health… even our damage assessment teams are doing so through collaborations with our elected officials, our government officials and through the use of technology."
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wagner said that the Red Cross is not utilizing its current shelters. Instead, the organization is working to put families into hotels or dormitories at nearby universities.
Stephanie Wagner, interim executive director for the Louisiana Red Cross, discusses the new normal for storm relief amid the coronavirus pandemic with AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer. (AccuWeather)
"Right now, we have approximately 550 individuals that we are housing in hotels or dormitories across that large swath of states we are supporting," she said.
As he toured the wreckage left behind by the "savage" storms in the tiny town of Soso, Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves, who declared a state of emergency Sunday night, said the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the tornado disaster were interfering with each other but added the state must help the tornado victims first, the Clarion Ledger reported.
An EF3 tornado slammed East Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Easter Sunday, leaving piles of debris in its wake. (Hamilton County, Tennessee Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security)
"Both of these emergencies are complicating the other one, but in the immediate aftermath of a tornado, our No. 1 priority has to be helping those who need [it]," Reeves said.
Across the South, people working to clean up the damage have been seen wearing masks to help protect others from the virus.
Red Cross volunteer Katherine Campbell Hudson wears her face mask as she visits tornado damaged residences in this south Prentiss, Miss., neighborhood, Tuesday, April 14, 2020, as recovery from Sunday's tornado continues. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
In the town of Prentiss, which took a direct hit from a tornado, Pastor Sean Coney of the James Hill Church, told the AP that breathing through a mask made cleanup work more difficult, “but you can’t be selfish,” he said. The church reportedly suffered extensive damage.
“As difficult as it may be, you have to do it,” Coney said to the AP.
The severe thunderstorms have been keeping insurance agents busy this spring. But with current stay-at-home mandates and social distancing guidelines in place due to COVID-19, agents have had to turn to technology to assist customers with insurance claims as AccuWeather's Bill Wadell reports.
Chris Coon, an agent with State Farm, has been handling car damage claims by smartphone. Coon told Wadell that he asks customers to place coins of various sizes onto their vehicles to help gauge the size of dents.
Insurance agents use digital tools to help storm victims. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
Other agents have utilized their eye in the sky. Casey Jones, another State Farm agent, said he uses drones to inspect roof damage.
"We know what we're looking for, so when we're going through these images, we're making sure that if the customer has damage, absolutely we're going to go ahead and recommend for roof replacement or roof repair, whatever is necessary," Jones said
Wagner said families across the country should take the time now to prepare for future emergencies and ensure every family member knows there's a plan in place.
"We just want to encourage folks at this time to use their time at home, their time with their families to build their emergency preparedness kit to create their plans, that disasters are frequent and they can happen anywhere at anytime, so now is the time to prepare whether it's for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or just any kind of normal emergency like a home fire," Wagner said.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Severe Weather
Tornado-battered communities face 'complicated' recovery amid pandemic
By Kevin Byrne, AccuWeather senior editor
Published Apr 17, 2020 2:52 PM EST
The American Red Cross is helping people across multiple states after recent tornadic activity while maintaining social distancing due to COVID-19.
Over 100 tornadoes ripped through the South during Easter weekend, leaving extensive damage behind from Texas to South Carolina and into the mid-Atlantic. More than 36 people were killed due to the violent weather, according to The Associated Press.
Some of the most substantial tornadoes of the outbreak included a monster EF4 twister that was over 2 miles wide in Mississippi, a new record size for the state, a powerful EF3 twister that leveled hundreds of homes around Monroe, Louisiana, and an EF3 tornado that pummeled Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The disastrous weather has made life even more difficult for many already struggling with the coronavirus pandemic, including those usually on the front lines of storm recovery.
The American Red Cross is responding to the current disaster aftermath in the South, but due to COVID-19 and social distancing orders, the organization has had to adjust how it distributes aid and coordinates relief, Stephanie Wagner, interim executive director for the Louisiana Red Cross, told AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer on the AccuWeather Network.
"This environment has certainly come with some unique complications, but the Red Cross is practicing social distancing just like the rest of the nation," Wagner said. "And in this time, with this COVID-19 environment, we're adjusting some of our service delivery to be done so in a virtual capacity. Providing things like financial assistance, mental health… even our damage assessment teams are doing so through collaborations with our elected officials, our government officials and through the use of technology."
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Wagner said that the Red Cross is not utilizing its current shelters. Instead, the organization is working to put families into hotels or dormitories at nearby universities.
Stephanie Wagner, interim executive director for the Louisiana Red Cross, discusses the new normal for storm relief amid the coronavirus pandemic with AccuWeather Broadcast Meteorologist Brittany Boyer. (AccuWeather)
"Right now, we have approximately 550 individuals that we are housing in hotels or dormitories across that large swath of states we are supporting," she said.
As he toured the wreckage left behind by the "savage" storms in the tiny town of Soso, Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves, who declared a state of emergency Sunday night, said the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and the tornado disaster were interfering with each other but added the state must help the tornado victims first, the Clarion Ledger reported.
An EF3 tornado slammed East Chattanooga, Tennessee, on Easter Sunday, leaving piles of debris in its wake. (Hamilton County, Tennessee Office of Emergency Management & Homeland Security)
"Both of these emergencies are complicating the other one, but in the immediate aftermath of a tornado, our No. 1 priority has to be helping those who need [it]," Reeves said.
Across the South, people working to clean up the damage have been seen wearing masks to help protect others from the virus.
Red Cross volunteer Katherine Campbell Hudson wears her face mask as she visits tornado damaged residences in this south Prentiss, Miss., neighborhood, Tuesday, April 14, 2020, as recovery from Sunday's tornado continues. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
In the town of Prentiss, which took a direct hit from a tornado, Pastor Sean Coney of the James Hill Church, told the AP that breathing through a mask made cleanup work more difficult, “but you can’t be selfish,” he said. The church reportedly suffered extensive damage.
“As difficult as it may be, you have to do it,” Coney said to the AP.
The severe thunderstorms have been keeping insurance agents busy this spring. But with current stay-at-home mandates and social distancing guidelines in place due to COVID-19, agents have had to turn to technology to assist customers with insurance claims as AccuWeather's Bill Wadell reports.
Chris Coon, an agent with State Farm, has been handling car damage claims by smartphone. Coon told Wadell that he asks customers to place coins of various sizes onto their vehicles to help gauge the size of dents.
Insurance agents use digital tools to help storm victims. (AccuWeather / Bill Wadell)
Other agents have utilized their eye in the sky. Casey Jones, another State Farm agent, said he uses drones to inspect roof damage.
"We know what we're looking for, so when we're going through these images, we're making sure that if the customer has damage, absolutely we're going to go ahead and recommend for roof replacement or roof repair, whatever is necessary," Jones said
Wagner said families across the country should take the time now to prepare for future emergencies and ensure every family member knows there's a plan in place.
"We just want to encourage folks at this time to use their time at home, their time with their families to build their emergency preparedness kit to create their plans, that disasters are frequent and they can happen anywhere at anytime, so now is the time to prepare whether it's for hurricanes, tornadoes, floods or just any kind of normal emergency like a home fire," Wagner said.
Related:
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo