Last week after the tornados hit the Nashville and Cookeville area I received several inquiries from caring individuals wanting to help those impacted by the tornados. In disaster situations information on where and how help to need can be difficult to find; so my wife, Nina, and I traveled up to Cookeville and learned how we, in this area, could best help our neighbors.
Nina and I toured the Putnam County Community Center where donations were being brought and I had the opportunity to meet the coordinator of that center. I was very impressed with how quickly everything was coming together. Phase one, rescue and sheltering began last week along with phase two, cleaning up. Now phase three, the long phase of rebuilding begins.
Next, we visited the local fairground which is the staging area for sending groups and individuals out into the area to help with the cleanup, it was an organized and well-executed operation. Our next stop was the area where the tornados first touched down; the three tornados that hit the Cookeville area destroyed or damaged approximately 500 homes. While no vehicles, without clearance, were being allowed into the area we could see the beginning of the destruction.
Following the 2011 and 2012 tornados that hit our neighborhoods, our community received an outpouring of assistance and support. Now we are in the position to be able to return that support and help our neighboring community during their disaster.
The Samaritan Center recognizes that the gift of money provides the most flexibility to meet the varied needs of a recovering community and has committed to match up to $10,000 of donations and we’re inviting you to join us. We’ve already received over $2,000 toward that match. If you desire to go to Cookeville and help in person you can visit the following website for more information:
https://www.cookeville-tn.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=324
When our community was suffering from the devastation of the tornados that hit us, we were blessed with tens of thousands of man-hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid. Now the Samaritan Center is happy to be able to give back and provide some of that relief to our neighboring communities and to be a blessing to others.
Your friend,
Tony Dahlberg
Executive Director of The Samaritan Center
