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Stamford, Conn. – May 9, 2012 – AmeriCares is launching two new recovery projects to assist tornado survivors in Kentucky and Indiana.
In Kentucky, where more than 100 tornadoes touched down in early March killing at least two dozen people and destroying 650 homes, AmeriCares is working with a partner organization, the Christian Appalachian Project, to offer mental health and counseling services for survivors. Clinically-trained professionals will provide more than 670 hours of counseling over the next six months in Johnson, Magoffin, Martin and Lawrence counties to reduce trauma-related symptoms and support survivors through the grieving process.
In Indiana, where an F-4 tornado destroyed hundreds of homes and claimed more than a dozen lives in March, AmeriCares is working with March 2 Recovery, a coalition of nonprofit and faith-based organizations, to help up to 300 survivors access health care, mental health services and rebuilding assistance. Case managers will help connect disaster survivors in New Pekin, Henryville, Marysville, Chelsea, and other affected areas to nonprofit and government services that can meet their needs until federally-funded case management services begin. This assistance is critical because many families have immediate mental health needs and home repairs that need to be addressed quickly.
The two projects combined are expected to help about 650 tornado survivors in Kentucky and Indiana.
“It only takes minutes for a tornado to flatten homes and businesses, but it can take survivors months, even years, to recover,” said AmeriCares Director of Emergency Response Garrett Ingoglia. “We are glad we can help families in these devastated communities rebuild their homes and their lives.”
The two new programs are AmeriCares latest relief efforts for survivors of the recent storms. In March, the organization delivered first aid supplies, nutritional supplements, 128,000 bottles of water and other emergency aid to tornado survivors in Kentucky. After another series of deadly tornadoes in April, AmeriCares delivered a truckload of bottled water to survivors in Oklahoma.
AmeriCares has been providing medical relief and humanitarian assistance to millions affected by natural disasters and man-made crises around the world for 30 years. In 2011, in response to one of the worst tornado seasons in decades, AmeriCares delivered nearly $3 million in aid for U.S. disaster survivors, including $600,000 in disaster recovery grants to help more than 62,000 people recover and prepare for future emergencies.