Hello Fellow Rotarians,
Rotarians were onsite for today in Rolling Fork, Mississippi (pop 1883), working to assess needs and help others. The tornado was very devastating, as you can see from the news. I am going to summarize Rotary efforts that occurred and are under way–and how YOU can best help.
There are three main steps to addressing disasters: Response, Recovery and Rebuild. We are in the Response stage. We have been instrumental in opening communication lines between organizations such as DisasterUSA and connecting them with the Sharky County Emergency Management and CERT Personnel. Being onsite today, I can tell you that there is plenty of water and other immediate supplies pouring in, and it is all appreciated:
(1) Rotarians drove from Starkville today and delivered water, drinks and hygiene packs to a staging area in Greenville. These will be distributed to relocated Rolling Fork residents who are occupying a 150-bed shelter facility called Sacred Space, a building formerly occupied by the Salvation Army. The items will also be moved into Rolling Fork locations as supplies diminish there. The Madison Ridgeland club is also delivering water, food and hygiene items tomorrow, along with Danny and Marilyn Brunt of the Central MS E-club, who are delivering our District’s pre-staged disaster relief items stored in our Rotary trailer. These are just a few; there are many others–too long to list here.
(2) When we got into town, we worked with Hollandale Rotarian Roy Schilling to setup grocery supply refunds for groceries to be cooked by local churches who still had power or facilities. Roy operates the only grocery store in town, and his store was damaged and was without power, but he was still able to get groceries out to these organizations.
(3) We have setup eight 5-day hotel vouchers, and these were distributed to families and individuals who have lost everything, focusing on the elderly, families, or those who would struggle with cots in shelters. The vouchers were setup with Hotel 27 in Greenville, and breakfast and boxed meals are being provided until other, more permanent housing solutions can be found.
The best way that you as a Rotarian can help Rolling Fork at this time is to make a donation to the 6820 Foundation Disaster Relief fund. This fund is our own district’s 501c(3) setup to accept tax-deductible donations that we spend directly on disasters such as these. Existing funds were used today–over $5,000 towards the above efforts. We will need more money to support the recovery. Please donate via Paypal or Credit Card at this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=93MLYCVSXFVSU and forward this message to friends and loved ones to encourage others to give. Or you can mail a check to District 6820 Foundation – Disaster Relief Fund, 131 Fox Run Road, Canton, MS 39046-9633.
Finally, we will be partnering with the available shelters in Rolling Fork as well as the Greenville shelter over the next couple of weeks to assist with funding and volunteers as the response operation moves into the Recovery stage. I met with Reid Carter, the Rolling Fork Rotary President, who told me that nearly every Rotarian lost a home and/or business in Rolling Folk. They themselves are busy getting their own businesses and lives together. As such, it is even more important that fellow Rotarians step up to help them. We are also looking into developing an “Adopt a Rotarian” program in which you as a volunteer can come in and assist them individually.
Feel free to reach out to me with questions, and thank you in advance for your generosity.
Mark DiBiase
District Governor
Rotary District 6820
662-347-0765
Donate to Rotary District 6820 Foundation
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