Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund activated by CFMT due to deadly, destructive tornados and severe storms

In the wake of deadly and destructive tornados, power outages, road closures and rescues throughout Davidson and surrounding counties early Tuesday, The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee (CFMT) has activated the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund to support the affected communities and nonprofits helping victims address their ongoing needs.
Grants from the Fund will be made to nonprofits providing vital services both immediate and long term.
Our work helps free nonprofits up to concentrate on delivering vital services while we “connect generosity with need” and our community sets out to rebuild lives.
“We know when disasters strike, there are no quick fixes,” said Ellen Lehman, president of The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. “We need to support the affected communities and the nonprofits on the ground helping victims and addressing their needs.”
To give to the Middle Tennessee Emergency Response Fund, go to www.cfmt.org.
Also, the nonprofit Hands On Nashville is working with the city’s Office of Emergency Management to determine what the volunteer needs are at this time. If you are interested in volunteering for disaster relief efforts, please visit: bit.ly/32MpoiC (hon.org is currently experiencing technical difficulties due to an outpouring of amazing folks trying to sign up to help.)
To donate goods: The nonprofit Community Resource Center (www.crcnashville.org/) is the official agency for product donation. The CRC is specifically looking for personal hygiene products, bleach, trash bags, box cutters, and gloves at this time.
Staffers at The Crisis Line, which is part of the nonprofit Family & Children’s Service, are available 24/7/365 to listen if you need to talk at (615) 244-7444.
From the Associated Press: Tornadoes ripped across Tennessee early Tuesday, shredding at least 40 buildings and killing at least 19 people. One of the twisters caused severe damage across downtown Nashville, destroying the stained glass in a historic church and leaving hundreds of people homeless.
Daybreak revealed a landscape littered with blown-down walls and roofs, snapped power lines and huge broken trees, leaving city streets in gridlock.
Schools, courts, transit lines, an airport and the state Capitol were closed, and some damaged polling stations had to be moved only hours before Super Tuesday voting began.
The death toll jumped to 19 on Tuesday, Tennessee Emergency Management Spokeswoman Maggie Hannan said, after police and fire crews spent hours pulling survivors and bodies from wrecked buildings.
“Last night was a reminder about how fragile life is,” Nashville Mayor John Cooper said at a Tuesday morning news conference.
Concerning natural gas safety, go to: https://www.piedmontng.com/our-company/safety-information/natural-gas-safety. For any natural gas leak or reporting: Leave the area immediately, call 1 (800) 752-7504 or 911; Call from a neighbor’s house or from another location far from the smell of natural gas.