Daily I see photos posted from friends in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and other areas affected by this week's storms. It's a heart-breaking experience. I look at pictures from Tuscaloosa, where I spent four years at Stillman College, not recognizing anything because most of what I see is rubble. I have sorority sisters whose families lost everything, or had significant damage. Hundreds of lives were lost, including 5 people from the same family in Arab, AL. As always, being alive is a blessing, but let's not make it seem like losing everything isn't big. Life is great, but until you are one of the people who has lost everything, you can't discount how much that affects someone. I encourage everyone to donate. Give blood. Give money. Give items. Give time. Pray. And please don't forget about the smaller cities. I can promise you that there will be no shortage of donations to Tuscaloosa or Birmingham, but smaller cities won't get as many, and will have less resources to help themselves.
Things needed include (but are not limited to): bottled water, non-perishable food items, linens, pillows, clothes, shoes, bags or containers to hold belongings, contact solution, pet food and supplies, feminine hygiene products, baby clothes, diapers, first aid items, hand sanitizer, batteries, flash lights, trash bags, toiletries. Also consider teddy bears or other toys for children. They can't understand what's going on, and something as simple as a teddy bear to hug can make them feel a little better.
Some helpful links:
- A page dedicated to reuniting owners w/ their lost pets, and pets w/ their lost owners: Animals Lost & Found
- If you need to search for a missing loved one, and other info directly from the city of Tuscaloosa: City of Tuscaloosa Website
- Toomer's for Tuscaloosa, a page that is coordinating donation and volunteer efforts to help tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and other affected areas: Toomer's for Tuscaloosa
- Map of the damage by county: EMA Map
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