AFFECTED AREAS

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Overview

From Friday night, March 14, 2008, and again on Saturday, March 15, when tornadoes swept through Georgia, local American Red Cross volunteers provided food, shelter, clothing, and other emergency assistance to affected families in hard hit areas, including Bartow, Effingham, Floyd, Fulton (downtown Atlanta), Jefferson, and Polk counties. Damage was scattered throughout Georgia.

On March 20, the federal government issued a disaster declaration for Fulton County, and expanded the declaration on March 22 to include Bartow, Burke, DeKalb, Floyd, Jefferson, and Polk counties, opening additional funding for families in those areas to rebuild after tornado damage.

The Metro Atlanta Chapter, Augusta Chapter, Coosa Valley Chapter, Savannah Chapter, East Georgia Chapter, and Northeast Georgia Chapter continue to provide assistance to local residents affected by the tornadoes.

American Red Cross volunteers immediately started doing damage assessment through communities to identify affected homes. The Red Cross continues to work with families, reaching out to those who have not sought assistance, to ensure that their emergency needs are met.

Immediately after the storms, the Red Cross opened shelters at Central Park Recreation Center and Helen S. Mill Senior Multipurpose Center in Atlanta, and at Wrens Georgia in Jefferson County. The need for emergency shelter dwindled in the following week, and shelters are now closed.

Meanwhile, through assistance centers, outreach programs, and emergency aid stations, the Red Cross continues to help individuals and families. Through one-on-one meetings with Red Cross caseworkers, families are getting emergency assistance for disaster-caused needs, including health services and emotional support, and the resources they need to recover.

To date, the Red Cross is providing direct assistance for 347 Georgia families affected by the storms, and has helped hundreds more through sheltering, health, mental health, mobile feeding services and cleanup supplies. This number continues to grow as the American Red Cross enters the second week of its relief operation.

Area Highlights

Augusta Region Chapter
From immediately after the tornadoes hit the Augusta Region to the following Tuesday, the Augusta Region Chapter fed more than 500 per day. The Chapter also oversaw the Wrens Baptist Church shelter operation in Jefferson County. Within two days after the tornadoes hit, the chapter was able to transition the shelter to a Disaster Assistance Center at 500 North Main Street in Wrens, Ga., for anyone displaced by the storms.

The Chapter also continued to provide feeding assistance in Jefferson County as needed, in conjunction with the Georgia Southern Baptist Association Relief Team.
In addition, in Burke County, the American Red Cross is currently helping families with their immediate emergency needs.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are located at:

Burke County
County Recreation Dept. Gymnasium
102 GA Hwy South
Waynesboro, GA

Jefferson County (2 locations)
Mount Moriah Campground (Mobile DRC)
2665 Mount Moriah Rd.
Matthews, GA

Wrens Middle School Gymnasium
101 North Griffin Street
Wrens, GA

FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers are located at:

Bartow County
Euharlee City Hall
30 Burges Mill Rd.
Euharlee, GA

Floyd and Polk Counties
Polk County EMA Office
55 Cline Ingram Jackson Rd.
Cedartown, GA

East Georgia Chapter
Disaster volunteers in Elbert and Jackson counties mobilized after the storm to do damage assessment in communities and ensure all affected homes were accounted for. The Red Cross continues to work with families, reaching out to those who have not sought assistance, to ensure that their emergency needs are met.

Metropolitan Altanta Chapter
The Red Cross continues to help metro area residents at the Disaster Assistance Centers at Beulah Baptist Church at 170 Griffin Street NW, Atlanta. Individuals and families can meet one-on-one with Red Cross case workers and get emergency assistance for disaster-caused needs, including health services and emotional support.

Disaster volunteers in Fulton, Dekalb, Carroll and Coweta counties mobilized after the storm and have continued to provide immediate emergency assistance to families in need. Anyone in the Atlanta area who needs emergency help as a result of the tornadoes can call the Red Cross at (404) 870-4440.

FEMA Disaster Recovery Center is located at:

Fulton and DeKalb Counties
Morris Brown College Campus Gymnasium
Walnut and Mitchell Street
Atlanta, GA

Savannah Chapter
Immediately following the tornado that touched down in Effingham County on Saturday night, March 15th, the Savannah Red Cross mobilized to provide emergency assistance (food, shelter and other basic necessities) to Effingham County residents affected by the tornado. Mobile feeding was provided in the affected area for residents and emergency workers. The Red Cross continues to help families who require immediate emergency assistance and will stay available to provide assistance, as needed, for the community.

Throughout Georgia
The Red Cross also continues to work in communities in Carrol, Coweta, Elbert, Hall, and Jackson Counties that have seen families affected by the recent storms. In the coming weeks, the American Red Cross will continue to work with communities and families, reaching out to those who have not sought assistance, to ensure that their emergency needs are met.

Red Cross Fast Facts
as of March 26, 2008