Flood and Tornado response

. 1 min read

Over the Christmas and New Year’s week, severe storms caused major flooding that inundated parts of the South and Midwest, and also spawned powerful, deadly tornadoes.

About 25 people were killed after tornadoes barreled through Texas. According to the National Weather Service, 11 of the deaths were in the Dallas area, which was struck by nine twisters, including an EF4 tornado in nearby Garland, with wind gusts up to 200 miles per hour. 

Flash floods due to record rainfall in Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Alabama, Kansas, Arkansas, and Tennessee caused additional fatalities and damage in what became a weeklong outbreak of severe weather. 

The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) responded to the flood and tornado outbreak with emergency funding to the Central TexasMississippiNorth Texas, and Tennessee Annual Conferences. The agency is in contact with the Missouri and Great Plains conferences to provide aid for disaster recovery in those areas. UMCOR is also working with national partners in planning for additional flood response along the Mississippi River, where floodwaters are moving downstream. 


For more on this story …