Many of you may have seen the extensive & national news coverage of the March 2 EF3 tornado that ripped through Morgan County, Kentucky. Many communities in Morgan county & the surrounding counties were just devastated, including many of my next door neighbors here on Riverside Drive in West Liberty, Kentucky. One statistic cited that 95% of West Liberty was affected by the tornado. Few businesses are left standing & where homes, gardens & beautiful landscapes once stood are piles of rubble, splintered wood, debris, bricks & remnants of lives. Personally, I have never witnessed such devastation, so many businesses lost, so many homes destroyed & so many people touched by loss of loved ones, loss of homes, loss of possessions, loss of jobs and loss of stability. Thankfully, even though we’re oftentimes overwhelmed by this sense of loss and the sadness that creeps in after the adrenaline is gone, we also feel the love that has poured in from family, neighbors and strangers both near us and across the nation. Many of you have asked on Facebook, what can I do? How can I help? And I so thank you for such unselfishness & such willingness to share yourself, time, money, belongings, food and talents with others in need.

I know that many of you have donated to Red Cross. We are extremely thankful for those donations & many in our state, not just West Liberty, continue to need to those donations of water, new socks, new underwear, kerosene, baby items, personal hygiene items, as well as cash donations. The citizens of West Liberty also, though, realize that this devastation will not be mended in a week, a month or even a year & that many of our neighbors & citizens of Morgan County will need help rebuilding their lives. To aid with this, our local non-profit organization, Morgan County Christian Social Services, partnered with Bank of the Mountains, a local & family owned bank in Morgan County, has set up a Morgan County Disaster Relief Fund. You can donate by check or through Paypal. The money will be used to help those county wide & will be handled by local members of our community, Vicki Stacey & Kim Standafer. While we appreciate all the outside help that has poured in, this local charity will be able to realize the hour to hour & constantly changing needs of our people & aid where it is most needed, in the way that is most beneficial.  If you would like to donate to the Morgan County Disaster Relief Fund, please visit the following website to do so.

http://www.bankofthemountains.com/index.asp

The people of Morgan County are so thankful (really, more than you could ever know) for your donations, no matter what amount. When you have nothing of your previous life to even sort through or try to save, everything is a blessing.

If you are close to Morgan County, or even far away & would like to do some hands-on work, please visit this page: http://relief.morganminute.com

My husband has compiled a lot of the information he’s found from various sources…Facebook, word of mouth, local websites…into one central location for easier access. Search the site for volunteer opportunities & contact information.

And if you have a website, blog, facebook, anyway to reach the public, please share this! Every donation, every meal, every case of water, every article of clothing, every person with a chainsaw & pick-up truck, makes a difference to our people! YOU and your kindness makes a difference to our people. Thank you for it.