Woodward, Oklahoma suffered the worst damage from a furious system of 100+ tornadoes and storms that ripped through four states on April 14. An AmeriCares shipment of 32,000 bottles of drinking water was delivered to an Oklahoma food bank to provide clean drinking water for tornado survivors in Woodward and other communities.
The deadly, quarter-mile wide twister struck the town overnight, claiming 6 lives, injuring 29, and destroying more than 100 buildings.
In the aftermath of the powerful storm system, our emergency response team contacted 33 clinic partners in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Iowa to assess needs and health care gaps. We are ready to supply our partners with medicines and relief supplies where needs are identified.
Proactive disaster warnings deemed successful
Forecasters issued dire early warnings about the storm system two days in advance, a proactive approach that may have attributed to the low death toll. In southwest Iowa, officials evacuated the entire town of Thurman after powerful winds damaged or destroyed three out of every four homes. But, before the storm struck Woodward, the tornado warning siren was knocked out, along with the electricity, according to town officials.
Graphic courtesy of the National Weather Service
AmeriCares has a long history of helping survivors of U.S. disasters, including Hurricane Katrina, and most recently, the March 2012 tornadoes in Kentucky, and a series of 2011 tornadoes and other disasters. In response, AmeriCares delivered nearly $3 million in aid, along with more than $600,000 in disaster recovery grants to help hard-hit communities recover and prepare for future emergencies.
