Burlison: Joplin Disaster Relief

Joplin Disaster: Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Joplin who have suffered through the worst storm involving a single tornado this year and the 2nd most deadly tornado in Missouri history. The devastation is complete, widespread and hard to fathom. The latest reports have 125 dead and over 1,00 injured. Missourians surrounding Joplin have responded magnificently, rushing in to help, rescuing survivors, clearing streets, and sheltering the homeless. Here are some websites if you want to help. The Show-Me Response website where medical professionals can register is found at https://showmeresponse.org/.

Your donations are appreciated:

If you would like to help, below is a list of items we know will be needed (they are items needed in any disaster) that you and the people/churches/organizations of your district can begin collecting at any time.

• Bottled Water
• Work gloves
• Non-perishable food
• Snacks (crackers, pretzels and chips)
• Canned soups (pop-top lids)
• Toothpaste
• Toothbrushes
• Shampoo
• Deodorant
• Blankets
• Sheets
• First aid items
• Powdered baby formula
• Diapers (all sizes)/baby wipes
• Baby food
• Toilet paper
• Cleaning supplies
• New Clothing (all sizes)
• New Shoes
• Pet food
• Pet carriers

Those bringing supplies to Joplin are now being turned away because of lack of storage. In addition, individuals now need to have a pass to enter the disaster area, and the disaster relief team is asking people to please NOT come to Joplin at this time. The added congestion is slowing down the relief effort and causing much confusion as they continue their recovery efforts. If you have collected donations to please call Rep. Bill White's office at (573) 751-3791 or (573) 225-6225 BEFORE going to Joplin so they can work with you to schedule delivery to one of these warehouses.

All others who want to volunteer their services who are not medical professionals can do so by calling United Way 211. To call, just dial "211" from inside Missouri or (800) 427-4626. United Way can also be contacted by going to their website to register at http://www.211missouri.org/. UW 211 works with other voluntary organizations active in disasters (VOADs) and will assist with coordinating volunteer deployments by matching up skills with needs. They are also getting a high volume of calls, so please be patient. $10.00 donations for American Red Cross can be given by texting "REDCROSS" to 90999 or visit www.Redcross.org.