JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It was the deadliest 24 hours in December for tornadoes on record. Tornadoes tore through eight states over the weekend, killing at least 88 people, and the death toll is expected to rise.
Now, volunteers from the American Red Cross are en route to the storm-ravaged areas.
The need for food is critical, and the American Red Cross is planning large relief efforts in the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. On Monday, News4JAX spoke with American Red Cross feeding manager John Gilman, a disaster-trained volunteer who’s being deployed for two weeks in Tennessee to help the people there, many of whom don’t even have roofs over their heads.
“For this time of the year, for people to be disrupted, more than disrupted, lifestyle changes, it really is difficult,” Gilman said.
Gilman is flying out Monday evening to the hardest-hit areas of Tennessee, where he’ll manage the kitchen, preparing thousands of hot meals for tornado victims.
“My typical kitchen is 15,000 to 20,000 meals per day. The hurricane that hit Galveston, I had a kitchen and we did 60,000 hot meals a day out of a parking lot,” Gilman said.
Gilman is on what will be his 38th disaster deployment. Within two hours of arriving, he hopes to oversee the distribution of 5,000 meals.
″I will be feeding residents, first responders, law enforcement, contractors, anyone in the area because there is no food, obviously,” Gilman said. “Depending on the size of the issue, there may be more than one issue, there may be more than one kitchen, I’ll decide where the routes will be.”
The deadly, long-track tornado that devastated numerous communities was on the ground continuously for at least 128 miles. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear was emotional while announcing the victims’ ages
“The age range is 5 months to 86 years, and six are younger than 18,” Beshear said.
In the face of catastrophic damage, federal officials are offering whatever help is needed — and so are our local first responders like Gilman.
″I’ve had people tear up when we pull up,” Gilman said. “And we start a route in our neighborhood, and we’ll be there every day, so my drivers become attached to those people, and it’s difficult to disengage when it’s time to rotate out.”
The destruction is so catastrophic that officials still don’t have a handle on the death toll or the exact number of homes destroyed and those who are without power. Strangers nationwide are stepping in, already donating more than $4 million to organizations that are providing relief.