RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministry is winding down its initial efforts in Virginia counties hard hit by a series of deadly tornadoes that touched down April 27-28 — the third time in less than a month the ministry has sprung into action in the wake of damaging storms.
At least seven tornadoes touched down in Virginia during the two-day period, and another 12 in Maryland. The storms were part of an outbreak that stretched from Alabama to the Mid-Atlantic, killing more than 340 people. At least eight fatalities were reported in Virginia.
Virginia Baptists’ feeding unit begins operations in Glade Spring, Va.
|
The disaster relief ministry initiated operations April 28 in Washington County in Southwest Virginia and in Halifax County in Southside Virginia.
Washington County, the hardest hit, was battered by a category EF3 tornado, which packs winds of up to 165 mph. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management said a storm of that severity is rare in Virginia, with only 24 reported in history.
The tornado caused more than $40 million in damages in Washington County and killed at least seven people.
An EF2 tornado, carrying winds up to 135 mph, swept thorough Halifax County, killing at least one and causing widespread damage.
Additional tornadoes were reported in other Southside counties, in the upper Shenandoah Valley and in the Washington, D.C., suburbs. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell declared a state of emergency April 28.
By late in the day April 28, disaster relief ministry volunteers had set up a feeding unit at a truck stop on Interstate 81 near Glade Spring, Va., a Washington County town devastated by the storm. Two days later it was relocated to Glade Spring Baptist Church, which has become a center of relief activities.
By the time feeding operations were shut down on May 6, almost 4,200 meals had been served.
Also deployed to Glade Spring were laundry and shower units operated by Virginia’s Appomattox and Clinch Valley Baptist associations. Thousands of people were without power in the days following the storms.
About 25 volunteers participated in Virginia Baptist relief efforts in Washington County, including chainsaw crews who cleared debris.
Feeding and shower units were not required in Halifax County. But four chainsaw teams tackled more about 20 projects throughout the area.
“Spring 2011, especially the month of April, has proven one of the most destructive in decades,” said Dean Miller, who coordinates Virginia Baptists’ disaster relief ministry. “With over 150 tornadoes on April 27, the day could mark calendars as the deadliest U.S. tornado outbreak since the ‘Super Outbreak’ on April 3, 1974.”
The most recent disaster relief efforts came on the heels of assistance provided in Pulaski County, another Southwest Virginia region hit by a tornado on April 8, and in Chesapeake Bay communities, following a tornado that touched down there on April 16.
Efforts continue in Gloucester County on the Bay, which has requested chainsaw crews to clear remaining debris.
Miller said additional assistance may be needed in all the state’s tornado-devastated localities since the Federal Emergency Management Agency has denied Gov. McDonnell’s request for federal disaster assistance. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported May 7 the governor may appeal the decision.
The disaster relief ministry also is on standby to assist in Alabama, where tornadoes left thousands homeless, and in flooded regions along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.