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| Photo Courtesy of Capital City Museum |
Former Red Cross employee Pat Badgett (left) surveys the
damage at Mitchell’s Trailer Park in Western Franklin County Kentucky following an April 3, 1974 tornado. Pat’s mother
lived in the park, but was luckily not at home when the tornado hit. Pat was
also a longtime Red Cross board member and continues to volunteer with the
Franklin County Chapter.
Several communities are hosting memorials
today to mark the 40th Anniversary of the 1974 tornado outbreak, so
I thought I would take a look through our chapter archives to learn how the Red
Cross responded four decades ago. One of the hardest hit areas on April 3,
1974, was right here in the Commonwealth. A total of 85 deaths were recorded
for Kentucky and Southern Indiana.
The Red Cross was there during the following days,
weeks and months to provide emergency assistance in the areas where folks
needed help the most. Six shelters were opened to accommodate displaced
families. More than 400 people sought refuge there during the first days of the
relief operation. By April 8, all Red Cross shelters were closed. Even though
hundreds of families were still without a home, their family, friends and
neighbors opened their doors to offer shelter and comfort.
The Red Cross opened one fixed site to serve
food and operated six mobile units, feeding approximately 3,200 people around
the clock, including affected families, National Guardsmen and emergency
workers. We also set up a babysitting service for families cleaning up and
collecting what was left of their homes.
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| Jefferson Co. Indiana volunteer Paul Steinhardt |
But it wasn’t just the disaster department
working to support relief efforts. Every single branch of the Red Cross played
a part. Three mobile first aid units monitored affected areas at all times. Service
to Military Families helped locate families for frantic relatives. More than
1,500 blood donors answered the call for blood in the week following the tornado
outbreak.
As I read through old chapter meeting
minutes, the familiar names of key community groups were frequently
mentioned including Salvation Army, National Guard, Kentucky Baptist Convention
and our longtime partner, the United Way. It was then as it is today, an “all
hands on deck” operation inside and outside the organization. By the close of
the operation, we had served 2,900 families in our region alone and we couldn’t
have done it without our volunteers, donors and partners.
As we enter severe storm season, remember to
create or review your family disaster plan. You can also download free Red
Cross preparedness apps on floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes.
Visit www.redcross.org/mobileapps
for more information.
