tagged w/ American Red Cross
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In Joplin, Missouri: '75% of the town is virtually gone'
http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/22/severe.weather/index.html?hpt=T1
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(CNN) -- A tornado flattened buildings, snapped trees and tossed tractor-trailers like toys as it touched down in Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday night, causing an unknown number of deaths and injuries.
"I would say 75% of the town is virtually gone," said Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross.
The twister was part of a line of severe weather that swept across the Midwest on Sunday, prompting tornado watches and warnings that stretched from Wisconsin to Texas. High winds and possible tornadoes struck Minneapolis and other parts of Minnesota, leaving at least one person dead and injuring nearly two dozen others, police said.
Authorities in Joplin were contending with multiple reports of people trapped, as well as significant structural damage to St. John's Regional Medical Center, which was hit directly by the tornado, city officials said. CNN affiliate KSHB said there were reports of fires throughout the hospital.
One facade of the building made of glass was completely blown out, and authorities were evacuating the medical center, said Ray Foreman, a meteorologist with KODE in Joplin. Makeshift triage centers were being set up in tents outside, witness Bethany Scutti said.
Residents 70 miles away from Joplin in Dade County, Missouri, were finding X-rays from St. John's in their driveways, said Foreman, indicating the size and power of the twister.
Parts of the city were unrecognizable, according to Steve Polley, a storm chaser from Kansas City, Missouri, who described the damage as "complete devastation."
The tornado, which touched down just before 6 p.m. CDT, cut a path of destruction through the heart of the city, hitting heavily populated areas, Foreman said.
"We've had numerous vehicles picked up and thrown into houses," he said.
At least seven overturned tractor-trailers were seen on one stretch of Interstate 44 west of the city, said Michael Ratliff, who has been chasing storms for eight years. Ratliff said the possible tornado was "rain wrapped," making it impossible to see as it tore what he estimated to be a half-mile to three-quarter-mile path of damage.
Officials did not know how many were injured. Witnesses reported seeing some of the wounded being ferried to hospitals in the backs of pickup trucks as first responders struggled to handle the overwhelming destruction.
Lynn Ostot, the spokeswoman for the city of Joplin, confirmed "some fatalities," but did not have an exact number.
The Joplin mayor has declared a local disaster, and the Missouri National Guard was activated by Gov. Jay Nixon.
"These storms have caused extensive damage across Missouri, and they continue to pose significant risk to lives and property," Nixon said in a statement. "As a state, we are deploying every agency and resource available to keep Missouri families safe, search for the missing, provide emergency medical care, and begin to recover."
Elsewhere, tornadoes were spotted in Forest Lake, north of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and near Harmony, more than 120 miles to the south. And in Minneapolis, witnesses reported numerous downed trees and neighborhoods without power.
Minneapolis police spokeswoman Sara Dietrich said the storm left one fatality, with 22 people reported hurt. One hospital, North Memorial Medical Center, said it had treated 18 people for minor injuries.
LeDale Davis, who lives on the north side of Minneapolis, told CNN, "This is the first time we can remember a tornado touched down in this area. They aren't usually in the heart of the city."
Widespread damage from severe weather was reported across Minneapolis on Sunday.
In Anoka County, north of the city, sheriff's dispatcher Linda Hamilton said authorities were receiving reports of roofs blown off, trees down and gas leaks. Hamilton said the worst damage appeared to have been in Fridley, on the northern outskirts of the metro area.
Curby Rogers said warning sirens sounded near her northwest Minneapolis home Sunday afternoon. Shortly afterward, the light rain that had been falling was whipped into sheets by heavy wind, and power went out.
"We could hear doors busting open through the house," Rogers said. "There was a lot of commotion, and then it was silent."
When she and a visiting friend emerged from their house, the streets were blocked by debris and a tree had fallen on her car. Around the corner, the damage was "a million times worse," with some houses split in half.
CNN meteorologist Chad Myers warned that the storms were not over for the Midwest.
"You need to have that NOAA radio on tonight everywhere from Wisconsin to Texas and Oklahoma," he said.
Forecasters said the system that struck Minnesota was separate from another storm that struck eastern Kansas on Saturday, killing one person and damaging or destroying hundreds of homes there.
CNN's Greg Morrison, Divina Mims, Anna Gonzalez, Stephanie Gallman, Joe Sutton, Jessica Jordan, Ross Levitt, Sarah Aarthun, Don Lemon and Sean Morris contributed to this report.
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YPNation's newest intern, Odellia Lucius, takes a look at some of the motives behind the aid being provided in Haiti.
Here's an excerpt:
"But one aspect that seems to have been overlooked is the intent of organizations on the ground. My discussions with individuals directly affected by the earthquake unveiled this: The prospect of organizations using this vulnerable time to mask their motives behind the act of service is a growing concern. Recent articles highlighting specific groups and their initiatives, show that this concern goes beyond my casual conversations.
After 10 missionaries were held by the Haitian government for reportedly trying to illegally bring Haitian children into the Dominican Republic, Kathryn Joyce penned a piece for the Dailybeast.com, entitled “ The Evangelical Adoption Campaign.” In it she highlights a new movement amongst the Christian evangelical denomination, which embraces "a new orphan theology that urges Christians to see adoption and “orphan-care” as an integral part of their faith—and a means of spreading the gospel." The article describes the adoption campaign as a holistic pro-life stance."
Read more here: http://www.ypnation.net/help-haiti-and-hidden-agendasYPNation's newest intern, Odellia Lucius, takes a look at some of the motives... more
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The 7.0 earthquake in Haiti was the biggest earthquake to hit the island nation in more than 200 years. The American Red Cross has reported that an estimated 3.5 million people have been affected by the recent earthquake. According to relief experts, not only are medical supplies, water and food desperately needed, millions of dollars in cash are essential to help Haiti recover.
Over the past week, American corporations, NGOs, foundations, and individual citizens have rallied together raising money for the people of Haiti. One of the most successful donation efforts has been the one set up through Mobile Accord and mGiveFoundation in coordination with the US State Department. The fundraising effort enables individuals to send a $10 donation directly to the American Red Cross (the organization leading the efforts on the ground in Haiti).
Here’s how: Text the word “Haiti” to 90999, and $10 will be added to your cell phone bill. This works with the major carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless.
There are also other ways to contribute. You can blog for Haiti.
I just learned about a website called YouSayToo where you can create revenue to be donated to the relief efforts in Haiti by adding your blog to their site. YouSayToo’s mission is to bring causes and bloggers together.
While YouSayToo supports a variety of causes such as fighting global hunger, protecting our oceans, and providing clean water around the world, right now the organization is focusing all of their revenue on the relief efforts in Haiti.
How does this work?
Firstly, for every blog someone adds to the site, YouSayToo will donate $1 for relief efforts to Hope for Haiti, an organization that has been in Haiti for 20 years. Secondly, YouSayToo uses something called Google AdSense. Google AdSense associates content sensitive ads with your blog that appear at the end of your blog (or sometimes in the middle). Every time someone clicks on one of these ads, it generates a small payment to you.
The great thing is that you can add your existing blogs from sites such as WordPress, Blogger, LiveJournal, and Typepad directly onto YouSayToo. After you add your blogs, all of your new entries will be automatically imported into your YouSayToo blog.
Once the ads in your blog generate revenue, you pick where you want the money to go. If you want all the money for yourself or to donate to one of the causes on their site, YouSayToo will split the revenue with you 50/50. But if you want the money to go toward the relief efforts in Haiti, 100 percent of the AdSense revenue will be donated directly to Hope for Haiti.
How much are we talking about?
It depends on the blog and the content. An average blogger makes about $15-$25 a month from one blog. It might not sound like much, but put thousands of such bloggers together and it comes down to thousands of dollars of donations per month.
The recovery effort in Haiti is huge. We have a lot of work ahead of us. White House officials said that there were 26 international search and rescue teams in Haiti over the weekend. In addition to search and rescue efforts, immediate critical care needs of water, food, shelter and medicine are vital.
If we all step in, whether it’s donating $10 through texting “Haiti” to 90999, sending medical supplies, blankets and food via the many organized relief efforts, or adding our voice through our blog to a site like YouSayToo, we can truly make a difference in the lives of our sisters and brothers in Haiti.
The money that we donate right now is saving lives in Haiti. By simply writing a blog you can help.
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Tabby Biddle, M.S. Ed. is a writer and editor specializing in health and wellness, women’s issues, social change, personal growth and empowerment. She lives in Santa Monica, CA with her husband.The 7.0 earthquake in Haiti was the biggest earthquake to hit the island nation in... more
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