Heart to Heart International is responding to the deadly tornadoes that tore through through the Midwest and South on Friday, March 31.
HHI’s disaster response team has already sent 900 hygiene kits to our partner Arkansas Care, which has set up a mobile medical clinic in front of the Boys and Girls Club in Wynne, Arkansas, where there were several casualties and some of the heaviest impacts of the storms. Another 2,700 hygiene kits are being sent to the Arkansas Food Bank.
The governors of Indiana, Iowa, Illinois and Arkansas all announced emergency or disaster declarations in their states to help free up immediate assistance for impacted counties. Sunday morning, President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Arkansas. The Arkansas National Guard has been activated and deployed to assist in the recovery effort.
The death toll rose to 32 on Sunday, with multiple victims in Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee.
HHI’s disaster response team continues to work with other local partners to identify areas of greatest need and to provide medical support and aid distribution in the affected communities after the March 31 severe weather outbreak. The response will be updated as more information is available.
Last week, HHI’s disaster response team sent almost 2,000 hygiene kits to help in the aftermath of the March 25 tornado that touched down in Mississippi, killing more than 25 people.