Here’s How You Can Help the Victims of the Mississippi Tornadoes

Recovery efforts are only just beginning for the communities that were devastated by the tornadoes that swept across Mississippi and Alabama late Friday night.

“My home is gone completely,” said Ashley Nichols of Rolling Fork, Miss., one of the hardest hit towns. “My son’s home is gone.”

Melinda Newell Miller, a financial accountant originally from Rolling Fork, described the heartbreak of seeing her hometown in ruins. “There’s no water, no light, no food places, no gas — everything is destroyed,” she said.

Emergency response teams generally urge people not to show up in disaster zones to volunteer or deliver donations — these areas can still be unsafe and you could impede search-and-rescue efforts. (If you would like to donate, you should always do some research before giving to an unfamiliar organization. Sites like Charity Navigator and Guidestar can help.)

Here are a few ways to pitch in:

• If you live elsewhere in Mississippi, check the websites and social media pages of your city government, as well as local police and fire departments, to see if they are coordinating donations from your area. Officials are doing so in several cities, including Greenville, Gluckstadt and Olive Branch.

• The Mississippi Commission for Volunteer Service, better known as Volunteer Mississippi, is also sharing updates on local donation centers on their Facebook page.

• United Way of West Central Mississippi is collecting donations of water at their office in Vicksburg, about an hour outside of Rolling Fork. Check their Facebook page for updates on the location and timing. They are also accepting monetary donations on their chapter website, and ask you specify “Rolling Fork” in the notes field to route your donations correctly.

• The American Red Cross has trained disaster workers on the ground and is deploying additional workers and aid supplies. You can donate specifically to help people affected by the tornadoes here or by texting the word TORNADO to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

• GoFundMe has created a dedicated page for various fund-raisers for people and communities affected by the storm.