A Message From CEO T.D. Smyers: North Texans Helping Our Neighbors After Tornado Outbreak

by T.D. Smyers, CEO, American Red Cross North Texas Region

T.D. Smyers

In the past week, thousands of people were affected by the tornadoes and floods that caused heartbreaking devastation to neighborhoods and communities across the south. Our own Gail McGovern went to see the Red Cross response in Arkansas and wrote this first-hand account. As these storms were touching down, I was glued to my TV and Twitter monitoring the weather situation. We dodged a bullet in North Texas. Had those storms developed only a few hours sooner, they might have put us in the same situation, requiring Red Cross help from other states. 

In fact, it was only about a year ago that we were reeling from such an event. Fresh off of the West, TX fertilizer plant explosion, we responded to fatal storms in Hood, Johnson and Parker Counties. With this latest response, our newest capability, the North Texas Region Digital Operations Center, has been a tremendous asset in helping us connect those in need with resources available at the Red Cross. Of course, it's not only technology that North Texans are wielding help. We've deployed more than 40 volunteer disaster responders to the affected areas, along with a fleet of Emergency Response Vehicles.

A Fort Worth Emergency Response Vehicle
provides support to people affected by tornadoes in Arkansas

We can't do any of this without your support, which brings comfort and hope to people when they need it most. As you saw with the tornado threat in Dallas just yesterday, a disaster can happen at any time and when it does, we'll be in need of the same kind of help that we're now providing to our neighbors. Help people affected by disasters big and small, give to disaster relief.

Our sincerest thanks for your support.

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