• Benton County Chapter, Camden, Phone: 901-584-6333
• Clarksville – Montgomery County Chapter, Clarksville, http://clarksville.redcross.org
• Dyer County Chapter, Dyersburg, http://dcredcross.org
• Jackson Area Chapter, Jackson, http://redcrossjac.org
• Mid-South Chapter, Memphis, http://midsouthredcross.org
• Nashville Area Chapter, Nashville, http://nashvilleredcross.org
• Obion County Chapter, Union City, Phone: (731) 885-5113

Donate to The Salvation Army, which has served meals to relief workers throughout Middle and West Tennessee, online at:

• http://www.SalvationArmyMemphis.org and designate your donation for West Tennessee flood victims.
• Online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769).

Visit Hands On Nashville’s website, www.hon.org, or leave your name and number at their headquarters, 615-298-1108. Opportunities to help with the flood disaster will become available on an as-needed basis.

Community Foundation’s Nashville Flood Relief Fund, www.cfmt.org/floodrelief.

Disaster Resources

Disaster Center Tennessee: Disaster Message Board, Family Disaster Plan, Weather Warnings, Animals in Disaster – Lost and Found, Health and Welfare Inquiry, Tennessee National Flood Insurance Programs, NOAA Tennessee Weather.

Please Visit: http://www.disastercenter.com/tennesse/tennesse.htm

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) works to provide information, emergency awareness, respond to emergencies, help communities recover from disaster, and aid in reducing the effects of future disasters.

Please visit: http://www.tnema.org/

Hotlines

TEMA Donation Hotline: (866) 586-4483

Salvation Army Donation Helpline: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

American Red Cross: 1-800-HELP-NOW (1-800-435-7669)

Flood Recovery Tips from UT Extension - http://www.agriculture.utk.edu/news/releases/2010/10-05-flood.html

Returning to Your Home After the Flood

Food and Water Safety

Establish a Record of the Flood Loss Before Cleaning Up

Avoiding the Hazards of Mold

Well Purification 101

Salvaging Furniture after a Flood

After the Water Recedes: Cleaning Carpets and Floors

Q. My house is a mess… Where do I even start on cleaning this up?
A.  Start with this helpful guide on cleaning up a flooded home. Other useful tips on cleanup can be found here and here, and you can find some general guidelines on dealing with mold here. Invaluable family photos need saving? Try following the tips here. Most importantly, don’t hesitate to ask for help. There is a community of people out there waiting to help you, all you have to do is ask!

Flooding Threats: The National Weather Service in Memphis has issued a flood warning effective May 4, 2010 at 2:20 p.m. The stage was at 26.0 feet.  Flood stage for the Mississippi at Memphis is 34.0 feet.  Currently, flooding is occurring on the lowland inside the mainline levee system in Crittenden and Mississippi counties in Arkansas. Citizens are advised to stay tuned to NOAA weather radio and / or TV for further information.

The Wolf River in Germantown had risen to 24.01 feet as of 2:00 p.m. today.  The new crest level is 25 feet by 1:00 a.m. this evening.  The Greenway, which is flooded, has been closed as well as Poplar Estates Park and the Riverwoods Nature Area.  Citizens are urged to stay out of these areas.  The city expects minor curb lane flooding on Wolf River Blvd.  Some citizens could see minor flooding in their backyards for a short period of time.

Debris Removal/Solid Waste: Memphis, Millington and unincorporated Shelby County citizens affected by flooding are asked to move debris to curbside for pickup.

Health Concerns and Issues: The Memphis and Shelby County Health Department is available to advise citizens on debris removal safety.  The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) web site, www.cdc.gov is another valuable information resource for citizens affected by the flood.

Millington Update: The Shady Oaks Community Mobile Home Park at 7860 Raleigh-Millington has been reopened.  No identification checks are required of these citizens. Public Works continues to work diligently to restore the infrastructure.  Several hundred residential gas meters were submerged by the flood waters and are now being inspected.  From 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Millington residents (only) may call 901.872.2211 for flood-related issues.  The Millington non-emergency number is 901.872.3333. Citizens are asked to visit the city web site at  www.millingtontn.gov.  Millington City Hall is open to citizens wishing to stop by.

Waverly Farms Subdivision Update: Flood waters are receding.  Clean up and debris removal has begun for this subdivision in unincorporated Shelby County. The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office continues to provide security for residents with routine patrols.

Public Works/Roads and Bridges: Citizens are cautioned to heed the barricades, detours, and “road closed” signage.  Citizens are asked to report damaged or blocked roads that are not barricaded.

Shelby County Road Closures: Brunswick at Idaville, Osborntown, Raleigh-Millington

City of Memphis Road Closures:  James Road, Hawkins Mill and Egypt Central.

The American Red Cross has opened more than two dozen shelters in response to a powerful weather system that generated tornadoes and caused severe flooding across the South.

As of Monday morning, the Red Cross and its partners had 28 shelters open across the South, including Mississippi, Kentucky and Tennessee. Tennessee was particularly hard hit, with some areas in the state receiving as much as a foot of rain, leading to numerous road closures and forcing evacuations. Nearly 1,000 Tennesseans stayed at a shelter on Sunday night.

“We’re just at the beginning of this relief operation, and until the water begins to recede we won’t know just how much damage has occurred,” said Joe Becker, senior vice president of disaster services at the Red Cross. “Right now we’re focused on providing meals and a safe place to stay, but the Red Cross will be there for the long haul to help people get back on their feet.”

The Red Cross activated a mobile giving text donation effort today to enable interested people to make a $10 text donation to help people affected by disasters like the recent floods and tornadoes.

Customers of participating wireless carriers can text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Donations will appear on customers’ monthly bills or be debited from a prepaid account balance. Message and data rates may apply. Depending on the carrier, individuals can donate two or three times per month. The Red Cross is working with mGive to process and facilitate the mobile donations.
Floods are typically long-term relief operations, given that waters can take days to recede and can wreak devastating damage on homes.

As heavy rains continue across the South, the Red Cross encourages people in the affected area to register themselves and their loved ones on the Safe and Well Web site, to allow family and friends around the country to know of their status:

• Visit redcross.org, and click on the Safe and Well link.
• If you are currently being affected by this disaster, click: “List Myself as Safe and Well,” enter your pre-disaster address and phone number, and select any of the standard message options.
• If you are concerned about a loved one, click “Search” and enter the person’s name and pre-disaster phone number OR address. If they have registered, you will be able to view the messages that they posted.
• If you don’t have internet access, you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to register yourself and your family. Follow the prompts for disaster information.

To find the location of open shelters, please visit redcross.org and click on the “Find a Shelter” link.
Time is of the essence in any disaster, and the Red Cross is able to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost, thanks to donations by members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP).

Members of the Annual Disaster Giving Fund are Altria Group, American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, General Motors Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare and UPS.

Help people affected by disasters like the recent floods and tornadoes in the South, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.org.

Clarksville now is reporting on the coming recovery effort in Montgomery county. A radio broadcasting group from the area has set up several live broadcasts in the coming days to collect donations for those effected by the flooding.

Kristi Hellerman walks her daughter Kallie Cox, 3, through their flooded neighborhood near Pleasant Planes, Saturday, May 1, 2010 in Jackson, Tennessee. (AP Photo/The Jackson Sun, Beth Spain)

Speak to Power has temporarily set up this blog as a temporary website for information regarding the West Tennessee disaster relief efforts.

Throughout this crisis throughout the state from Memphis to Lebanon, we will be listing information across our area as a clearinghouse for localized information regarding the tornadoes and flooding that has plagued the state since since last week.

Please send any information regarding relief information and flooding to tracesharp at gmail dot com or speaktopower at gmail dot com.