updated May 7, 2011

Partnership Staff

All of our staff have been accounted for and are safe. Many sustained damage to their residence, One staff persons residence was destroyed and family member thrown from the building by a tornado.

Client Report

Our client assessment efforts are complete. The hardest hit are seniors and families with young children located in Cullman, DeKalb, Franklin, Lawrence, Marion and Winston counties. Assessment information collected indicate that of the 2200 families currently receiving our regular services, 15 families are displaced, 4 homes destroyed, 2 homes have severe roof damage, 2 family members injured, 1 family member fatality, 1 Head Start child injured at home when a tree fell on him. Needs include relocation assistance, short-term housing, house repairs, short-term storage, rent/mortgage assistance, insurance deductable assistance, ice, food, water, clothing, diapers, formula and daily essentials. The widespread power outage is sharply declining.

Partnership Facilities

Most Partnership facilities were not damaged and power to most locations have been restored. Head Start facilities in Plainview and Boaz sustained tremendous storm damage and community damage to Guntersville and Rosalie make these location inaccessible. Plainview, Boaz, Guntersville, and Rosalie have been closed for the remainder of the Head Start Program Year. Repair efforts are underway and Head Start selection for the next school year continue.

Storm History Map

To view a printable version of the map below CLICK HERE. 

Our Efforts

Our United Way 211 Information and Referral service is assisting non-emergency callers with information on how to obtain relief supplies and volunteer registration information. Nationwide, 3565 volunteers have registered to help in Alabama, 167 volunteers from Morgan County, 9 from Lawrence County and 8 from Winston County.  Post-storm assessments indicate rent and mortgage assistance and insurance deductible assistance as the greatest need in hardest hit areas involving low-income families. In Cullman County, we are providing office space to the American Red Cross at our outreach office in the city of Cullman. The Red Cross office in Cullman was destroyed April 27th by a tornado. In Lawrence County, our assessment teams have completed their field work and will be providing relief assistance services sometime the week of May 9th. Our Leadership Team is locating resources and raising funds to respond to the disaster related needs of low-income families in the 13 county service area. 

How to Help

We need financial support to respond to these critical needs. Relief and response costs in the first 9 days after the disaster have exceeded $40,000, our needs assessment indicates that it will take almost $250,0000 to respond and provide relief to our low-income communities. Please click HERE to be directed to our "Give Support" webpage  where you will find several options to donate to our Agency and enable our relief effort. We will ensure it reaches and helps the most needy low-income families.

If you would like to volunteer, please register at www.servealabama.gov. 

Storm Stories

Ms. Jones lives in a rural area south of the city of Hanceville in Cullman County. When assessment teams arrived, Ms. Jones was praying for ice to preserve what little food that remained in her refrigerator. Her power was off and telephone service was disrupted. Assessment teams provided Ms, Jones with ice and a day's worth of ready to eat meals.

 Storm Video

Click Here to View Video

This video is live footage our staff shot the morning after the Cullman tornado. This was a lush, charming, residential area full of life and rich in history. This area is less than a mile from our Cullman office. We had three low-income clients that lived in this area. They survived but are now displaced and in great need. If you can help us raise money, we need $250,000 to provide relief to this area and five other communities just like it. Please click HERE to be directed to our "Give Support" webpage  where you will find several options to donate to our Agency.

Click Here to View Video

Storm Pictures

The pictures below were taken by our assessment teams and staff working in the storm damaged communities of our 13 county service area.