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March 15-16, 2025
Severe Storms and Tornadoes
 
 

Disaster Assistance:

​​​​2-1-1 Connects Alabama

Find Help Near You. Need help before, during or after a disaster? 2-1-1 is a free, easy to remember number to dial for information about health and human service organizations in your community. 2-1-1 provides individuals with the latest information and essential community services. Text TXT211 (898211), Dial 2-1-1 or text or call 1-888-421-1266 from anywhere in Alabama, or visit http://www.211connectsalabama.org/. Call 7-1-1 if you are hearing-impaired and ask to be connected to 2-1-1 Connects Alabama.

If you are an organization providing resources, please call 2-1-1 or call 1-888-421-1266.

 

Donate

The Alabama Governor's Emergency Relief Fund (GERF)

This fund was created after Hurricanes Ivan and Katrina and continues today to support unmet needs for individuals and families recovering from severe weather in Alabama. 

 

 

 

Volunteer

Below is a listing of current volunteer needs.  Please contact the organizations directly if you are interested in volunteering.  Also note that recovery from a disaster often takes a very long time and volunteers will be needed in the weeks, months, and even years ahead.

Volunteer Survey: Individuals wishing to volunteer in recovery efforts visit: https://forms.office.com/g/HdqCrAPwvF

Disaster Responding Groups – Volunteers and Donations Survey: For organizations and agencies that are interested in providing in-kind donations and disaster responding organizations seeking volunteers: https://forms.office.com/g/6ENUVTVvcd

Alabama Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ALVOAD)

Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster  (VOAD) is a coalition of non-profit and faith-based, public and private organizations and agencies that respond to disasters by bringing all available resources together to assist those impacted by disasters. VOADs provide a forum promoting cooperation, communication, coordination and collaboration that fosters a more effective delivery of services to disaster affected communities.

Members and partners are serving communities hit by disasters as long as necessary. For a list of organizations involved in disaster response in affected areas, visit their websites and social media sites for more information. To support those who respond to disasters consider one of the following Alabama Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (ALVOAD) member agencies:

Adventist Community Services 

Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief

American Red Cross

Feeding Alabama

Baldwin County VOAD

Calhoun-Cleburne County VOAD

Church of the Highlands

City Action Partnership

Civil Air Patrol Alabama Wing

Coffee County ROCC/VOAD

Compassion Coalition of Tuscaloosa County

Convoy of Hope

Covington County VOAD

Cullman County VOAD

Elmore County VOAD

Etowah County VOAD

Family Guidance Center of Alabama

Good Shepherd UMC

HandsOn River Region,

Heart of Alabama Food Bank

Hope Animal Assisted Crisis Response

Jefferson/Shelby County VOAD

Legal Services of Alabama

Madison County VOAD

Marshall County Commission

Mennonite Disaster Service

Mobile County VOAD

Morgan County VOAD

North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church

Operation BBQ Relief

Operation Blessing International

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

Reach Out Worldwide

Salvation Army

Samaritan’s Purse

Southeastern Synod

St. Vincent dePaul

Team Rubicon

United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR)

Tuscaloosa VOAD

United Way of Baldwin County

United Way of Central Alabama

United Way of East Central Alabama/1st Call for Help

United Way of Madison County

United Way of Northwest Alabama

United Way of Selma & Dallas County

United Way of Southwest Alabama

United Way of West Alabama

United Ways of Alabama

Walker County VOAD

World Renew

Helpful tips for Donating: 
  • Cash is best! –This allows relief organizations to purchase exactly what items are needed to assist in the response and recovery efforts. Funds will also provide direct victim assistance.
  • Confirm the Need Before Collecting – Donors should be wary of anyone who claims that “everything is needed.” Many groups have been disappointed that their efforts and the goods they collected were not appreciated. A community hit by disaster, however, does not have the time, manpower or money to sort and dispose of unneeded donations. Get precise information and confirm the need before collecting any donated goods. 
Helpful tips for Volunteering: 
  • Affiliate with existing non-profit organizations before coming to the disaster area. Immediately following a disaster, a community can become easily overwhelmed by the amount of generous people who want to help. Contacting and affiliating with an established organization will help to ensure that you are appropriately trained to respond in the most effective way.
  • Be safe: Do not self-deploy until a need has been identified and the local community impacted has requested support. Wait until it is safe to travel to volunteer sites and opportunities have been identified. Once assigned a position, make sure you have been given an assignment and are wearing proper safety gear for the task.
  • Be patient: Recovery lasts a lot longer than the media attention. There will be volunteer needs for many months, often years, after the disaster - especially when the community enters the long-term recovery period.
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