Several local charities and law enforcement agencies say they are ready to lend a hand to the ongoing tornado relief efforts in states to the north and east of Arkansas in the wake of two tornado outbreaks recently.
Salvation Army Capt. David Robinson said that while no official call has come, he has asked his group of disaster relief volunteers to keep in mind the possibility of an eventual mobilization.
“We may be called to relieve another Salvation Army group,” Robinson said. “I’ve told some of my volunteers to have in the back of their mind the possibility that they may get a call to volunteer for 10 days or so. If we get the call we need to be ready to move as soon as possible.”
He said agencies were rotated every 12 days.
“If they request some relief from the Arkansas-Oklahoma Division we could go to the Alabama-Mississippi Division or the Tennessee-Kentucky Division. We would be able to provide mobile kitchens in addition to other relief functions,” he said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
They are also in his prayers, Robinson said.
“I know that those affected by the storms have been told that we are just a phone call away. If we are the closest group and they think we can help then we will be ready. I would assume that the officials are communicating amongst themselves and have people ready to go.”
Michelle Metot-Works, assistant director of the Southeast Arkansas Chapter of the American Red Cross, said that her organization is standing by.
“We’ve got some folks who put themselves in as available,” Metot-Works said. “We have our emergency response vehicle, which takes a team of two, used for mass feeding and bulk distribution. We have a list of 15 to 20 people who will travel on 24 hour notice if the call comes.”
Local law enforcement agencies have so far not received any calls for help from the affected jurisdictions.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Major Lafayette Woods Jr. said that while his office has not received any calls for tornado recovery assistance, officers with his agency are participating in classes this week sponsored by the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management on how to respond to disasters.
“We work closely with the Office of Emergency Management,” Woods said. “Because of the requirements of some of the federal grants we receive the department is going through two levels of Incident Command Structure training from Monday through Thursday that is being sponsored by ADEM.”
A spokeswoman with the White Hall Police Department said that her agency had received no calls for assistance related to the tornado outbreaks as of Monday.