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

On Friday, March 24, a deadly tornado tore through Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, resulting in dozens of fatalities. The rural towns of Silver City and Rolling Fork, Miss. sustained the most damage, with thousands of homes decimated, widespread power outages, and more. The tornado was given an EF-4 rating, which is the second strongest rating on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

That said, we've compiled a list of ways to donate to the Mississippi victims, to help those affected.

So far, the government agencies have been working to help as much as possible.

"The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) continues to work with affected counties to assess damage from the severe weather and tornadoes on March 24, 2023," reads an announcement that was released by the state government agency on Monday, March 27 — three days after the storm. "Seven counties affected by the storm have reported 1,621 homes damaged."

"[MEMA] has coordinated multiple resources to help those impacted," it continued. "Those resources include 64,000 bottles of water, 1,848 tarps, 576 meals, potable water tankers, portable restrooms, hand washing stations, batteries, bank chargers, and fuel for critical infrastructure generators."

But if you'd like to do your part, here are eight organizations currently accepting donations to help the Mississippi victims.

Donating to the American Red Cross of Alabama and Mississippi helps those affected by ensuring victims receive the support and assets they need to make it through these tough times. You can donate or volunteer with the organization, if you're nearby and have time to give, as well. And while they don't accept canned food or home goods, the organization partners with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, which is accepting item dropoffs.

Mississippi Center for Legal Services helps low-income people with legal issues, providing free civil legal assistance in 43 counties statewide. Considering so many people in the state are going to be filing insurance claims for the damage done to their properties, this will definitely come in handy to many. Therefore, you can donate to the organization which helps it continue to operate.

Although Convoy of Hope is a church-based organization, it aims to help those in need with disaster response, and by providing community outreach. The charity has deployed a number of team members to distribute aid on-site. Members are also meeting with local businesses, civic organizations, and government agencies, while assessing the needs of those affected. You can donate to help the cause online.

By navigating to GoFundMe's many verified fundraisers, you can locate a wide range of funds that donate directly to Mississippi's many affected victims. From contributing to someone's medical bill to helping a family rebuild their home, there are so many ways that locals will benefit from your monetary donations.

If you're within close proximity to Vicksburg, Miss., the United Way of West Central Mississippi is accepting water donations at its Vicksburg office. You can also give monetary donations via the organization's chapter website. To ensure your money goes toward the tornado victims, though, the organization recommends specifying “Rolling Fork” in the donation notes.

Members of disaster response organization, Team Rubicon, are at hard work in the town of Rolling Fork. They're helping first responders by clearing off roads, and helping residents by putting tarp over damaged roofs, clearing trees, and cleaning out debris from people's homes. You can donate to the organization, or volunteer IRL. Even though the team is led by military veterans, per CNN, first responders and civilians can volunteer to help.

The Community Foundation of Washington County covers the counties affected by the tornado. CFWC has been “boots on the ground” helping with long-term disaster recovery efforts in Washington, Sharkey, Issaquena and Humphreys counties since 2016. CFWC’s South Delta Disaster Recovery Fund ensures relief and recovery money stays local. You can can donate to the fund here.

Food insecurity is about to be at an all-time high in affected areas — which is why we're eternally grateful that Salvation Army (Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division) is handing out ready-to-eat meals, as well as bottled water, to those affected in Rolling Fork, Amory, Silver City, and Winona, Miss.