Residents in Eureka came together for a community meeting Friday night to have questions answered about the ongoing cleanup efforts following Tuesday’s EF-3 tornado.
While there is still plenty of work ahead, the general consensus from officials on the ground is that a lot of progress is being made. Eureka City Manager Ian Martell.
Over 500 volunteers have been in Emporia the past few days.
At this point in the recovery efforts, food and water donations are no longer needed. Local officials continue to stress the need for monetary donations, primarily to help demolish some of the homes damaged or destroyed by the tornado. If you’re planning to donate cash, the Growing Greenwood Relief Fund through the Emporia Community Foundation and Eureka Ministerial Alliance are the two primary ways to help.
Residents raised concerns Friday evening about how to access financial aid from some of the monetary donations pouring into the city to needs of having debris removed going forward. Most of those answers will be available Saturday from 1 to 8 p.m. at Marshall Elementary at 1015 North Jefferson where the Multi-Agency Resource Center is set up. Nearly 20 local, state and federal agencies will have a presence there. They include:
American Red Cross
City of Eureka
Community Linc
DAV
Veterans Affairs
KDHE
Crosswinds Counseling & Wellness
DAV/VA
Eureka Ministerial Alliance
Great Plains United Methodist Conference
Kansas Housing Resource Corp.
Salvation Army
United Way
Knights of Columbus
Mended Heart Ministries
Veterans Affairs
Kansas Insurance Department
For additional information about available services and resources, residents can dial 2-1-1.
Greenwood County Sheriff Heath Samuels says he’s been impressed with how efficiently they’ve been able to get things cleaned up.
As of Friday evening, Samuels says 167 homes were damaged, 19 destroyed and 32 that sustained major damage. At least 20 commercial buildings were destroyed and eight others were damaged. Volunteers also served 1,335 meals Thursday and 1,600 meals Friday at the Matt Samuels Community Building.
Eight people were hurt Tuesday. There have been no updates on their conditions.
Additional links from KVOE News
*Click here for an update on the number of damaged structures, the ongoing help of Emporia and Lyon County government agencies and the upcoming implementation of the MARC
*Click here for information on Wednesday’s tour by Gov. Jeff Colyer and the National Weather Service’s preliminary rating
*Click here for Wednesday’s damage assessment by Eureka and Greenwood County officials
*Click here for Wednesday’s story on how to help the recovery effort
*Click here for Wednesday’s initial story and photos about the Eureka tornado
