By Chris Moon
International Disaster Emergency Service (IDES) is headed to Mississippi in the wake of an outbreak of tornadoes that damaged or destroyed homes and buildings in multiple communities there.
News reports indicated more than 20 people were killed in the storms Friday night. The towns of Rolling Fork, Silver City, and Amory were among those affected by tornadoes. At least one of those twisters has been given a preliminary EF4 rating by the National Weather Service.
The state already has been granted federal disaster assistance following the storms.
IDES has connected with a few churches in the Amory area, said Mason Lambert, U.S. disaster response director for the disaster relief organization supported by Christian churches and churches of Christ. Amory is a town of about 7,000 people on the east side of Mississippi.
“There definitely is devastation there,” Lambert said.
News video from WTVA.com of the aftermath of the tornado shows significant damage to homes and businesses in the community.
The Amory Police Department on Saturday said the city’s water department suffered a direct hit from the tornado. An emergency boil water notice was in effect. A temporary curfew also was in place, and local officials were warning of downed power lines.
Initially, the Noblesville, Ind.-based IDES will partner with North Boulevard Christian Church in Amory. Lambert said the church sustained roof damage during the tornado.
Staffers from IDES were expected to arrive in the community on Monday, and a volunteer team from Corinth, Miss., was expected to arrive on Tuesday.
Lambert said he expects the work initially to entail removing debris and tarping roofs.
“We’ll know here in a few days what it will look like going forward,” he said.
Lambert said IDES may engage in shed construction work, which it has done in other disaster areas. A shed provided to an affected person or homeowner serves as a dry place to store whatever can be been salvaged from a structure.
IDES still is working in both Kentucky and Florida following major disasters in those states.
Lambert said updates for funding and volunteer needs can be found on its website, www.ides.org.
Chris Moon is a pastor and writer living in Redstone, Colo.
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