VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

• Ringgold United Methodist Church needs plumbers and electricians to help with relief efforts. Call the volunteer hotline 706-935-2109/706-935-2199.
• United Way's Volunteer Center is looking for immediate opportunities for callers who want to help. If your organization needs volunteers now, please call Windy Brooks at 423-752-0316 at United Way's Volunteer Center or email windybrooks@uwchatt.org
• Salvation Army needs volunteers to assist at its disaster supply warehouse. Interested volunteers should call Sharica Smallwood at 423-756-1023.
• Dade County - Anyone wishing to volunteer or those needing shelters and assistance please go to the Sand Mountain United Methodist Church at the intersection of Main st and Hwy 136. 706-657-6837
• Sand Mountain: Cartersville Community Volunteer Department, 4894 Alabama Hwy. 75, Flat Rock, AL, 35966, needs male volunteers to help with cleanup efforts. Call the Fire Chief at 256-599-3780 for more information

DONATIONS NEEDED

• Ringgold United Methodist Church need chain saws, bobcats, skidsters, and big trucks. Call the volunteer hotline 706-935-2109 or 706-935-2199.
• Sand Mountain: Cartersville Community Volunteer Department, 4894 Alabama Hwy. 75, Flat Rock, AL, 35966, needs tarp, sun block, leather gloves and men’s straw hats. Call the Fire Chief at 256-599-3780 for more information.
• If you would like to donate large bulk items, contact Emergency Management Collection (regional service) in Bradley County—3700 Keith St. Phone 423 559-5531.
• The Chattanooga Furniture Bank will need large donations of furniture - ESPECIALLY MATTRESSES - to accommodate the number of displaced persons who will need furniture in the wake of disaster recovery. You can drop off furniture at 700 East 11th Street (behind the police station). Or call 423-757-9527 to arrange for pick-up of furniture.
• Ringgold Telephone Company Business Office at 6203 Alabama Hwy., are asking for building materials. Please call Marcy Kernea 423-802-9553 for more information.
• The Salvation Army is accepting donations of non-perishable food, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, baby diapers and formula at its warehouse at 5001 Covington Street or at its 822 McCallie Ave. Administrative Building Chattanooga. Please call 423-756-1023 before taking items to the warehouse. Clothing donations are NOT needed at this time.
• Currently, the Chattanooga Area Food Bank is in need of the following non-perishable food items. Call 423-622-1800 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. for directions or for more information.
• Canned pasta
• Oatmeal
• Grits
• Canned beans (other than green beans)
• Ramen noodles
• Vienna sausage
• Jello
• Cake mix
• Cake icing
• Condiments
• Cereal
• Personal care items

SERVICES PROVIDED TO THOSE AFFECTED BY THE STORM (Also see Misc. Services by County below)

• The Community Kitchen is still providing showers and meals to residents affected by the disaster. Questions, please
  call 423-756-4222.
• Salvation Army- Beginning Monday, May 16, the Chattanooga Salvation Army will be offering Social Services intake and providing services to those needing disaster assistance at the following locations in Hamilton County, TN:
• The Salvation Army East Lake Social Services Office at 2140 East 28th Street from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM on Monday through Saturday. The office will be closed on Sunday.
• The FEMA location on the campus of Southern Adventist University in Collegedale from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM on Monday through Saturday. The office will be closed on Sunday.
• The Chattanooga Salvation Army will continue offering Social Services intake and providing services in Tiftonia, TN and Walker County, GA only through Saturday, May 14th. Those offices will not reopen on Monday, May 16.

• Simpsonwood: Call center establish for storm victims to help match cleanup and repair needs with volunteer teams. Refer volunteers and victims to website. www.ngumc.org Phone 678-533-1443
• Legal services for storm victims are available online from the TN Bar Association & TN Alliance for Legal Services. Go to www.onlineTNjustice.org to post legal questions. Questions are kept confidential, only seen by a volunteer attorney.
• The Red Cross will send volunteers to do a home visit and inspection if your home has suffered severe storm damage. Just call 423-827-2681, 423-827-3113, or 423-619-7181 to schedule a visit in advance.
• Goodwill has clothing and medical equipment available. Please call first (423-629-2501) to check locations and availability, especially for medical equipment. As for clothing, any tornado victim can go to any Goodwill store for immediate assistance. Goodwill can make arrangements to deliver medical equipment to a location convenient to those who
  need assistance. Victims can receive 2 outfits and 1 pr of shoes at any Goodwill location.
• DART will help with animal care during the recovery period. Call 423-209-8390 or 423-209-8074 for more information.
• Chattanooga Furniture Bank will provide furniture to qualified individuals needing furniture. Call the Salvation Army at 423-308-7714 to ask if you qualify and how you can be referred.
• Clothing at the Samaritan Center in Ooltewah: Clothing is available at the Samaritan Center site in Ooltewah from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday and from 12 Noon to 5 p.m., Monday to Thursday.
• If someone is on food stamps and they lose food due to the disaster, DHS will replace a percentage of the stamps on the EBT card. Clients need to contact the food stamp office to request help.
• For lost or found animals, check Animals Lost and Found from TN & GA Tornadoes page. Post pics if you've found
  an animal. They also have people willing to help with livestock & rebuilding.

STORM DEBRIS COLLECTION

• CATOOSA CO./RINGGOLD: Storm debris pickup begins this week. Naturally occuring wood, trees and brush should be placed at the road for pickup. Demolition and other man-made debris should be placed in a separate pile from trees and brush.

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COMMAND CENTERS IN NORTH GEORGIA

• Catoosa County: Ringgold United Methodist Church, 7484 Nashville Street, Ringgold (706) 935-2109
  Area Command: Steve Quinn (706-935-2001)
  
• Walker County: State Farm Insurance Parking lot (Hwy 193 & 341)
  Area Command: David Ashburn (706-375-7810)
  
• Dade County: Dade County Administrative Building, 71 Case Avenue. Call 706-657-4111 x607

MISCELLANEOUS SERVICES BY COUNTY

Walker County, GA

• The Walker Co. Chamber of Commerce is helping coordinate efforts in this county and they have the following needs:
• #1 most important is nonperishable items for diabetics. Examples: beef jerky, dried fruit, peanut butter (all natural, no sugar), unsalted nuts, cheese and crackers, whole grain cereal and breads, trail mix, and Jolly Ranchers or other hard candy.
• Cleaning supplies and any baby items.
• Please contact : Maggie 423-605-7674.

Catoosa County GA

• Lakeview Ministries will be giving out food boxes to anyone in need, Mon-Fri. Call 706-861-4982 or 706-861-1043.
• Donations of anything except clothing can go to Christ Chapel Share and Care Mission at 706.935.9045
• Kevin Silvey and Ken Poston offer free legal advice to anyone affected by the disaster at their law office, located at 7713 Nashville St in downtown Ringgold. (706) 965-8300. This advice is free to anyone with questions about how to avoid scams and help with choosing the right contractors and services.

All Northwest Georgia American Red Cross Shelters are closed


URGENT NEED FOR BLOOD DONATIONS

Blood Assurance Offices:
NOTE: Call the main office to schedule a time and place to donate. (Type negative blood is in great need)
Chattanooga – Main Office
705 East 4th Street, Chattanooga, TN
423-756-0966 /1-800-962-0628


SPECIAL NORTH GEORGIA NEEDS SECTION

Donations & volunteers:

• If you would like to foster displaced pets, call 706-937-2287 or email Catoosa County Animal Care at catoosaanimal@gmail.com.
• People wishing to continue to add their name to the list of volunteers for Catoosa County relief efforts may call a new number housed at the volunteer coordination office at the Ringgold United Methodist Church at 706-935-2109.
• Rossville softball and baseball teams are collecting canned goods, health and beauty aids, diapers, bottles and more for those who were hit by the storm. Boxes will be at the entrance to the park. For more information, contact Sheila Wheat at 423-596-5351.
• Relief efforts in Ringgold are staged from three designated assistance centers: the Ringgold United Methodist Church, 7884 Nashville Street; Poplar Springs Baptist Church, 422 Poplar Springs Road; and Cherokee Valley Baptist Church, 1495 Cherokee Valley Road. Donations of cash may be sent to any of these churches at their street address in Ringgold, Ga. 30736.
• Noble Baptist Fellowship Church, located at 5994 Hwy 27 North, is collecting nonperishable food, bottled water and/or household items for tornado victims. Items can be dropped off at the church office during normal business hours or brought to church services on Sunday. For more information, call the church at 706-764-2917.  
• The Walker County Chamber of Commerce has passed disaster relief efforts to Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church and Oakwood Baptist Church. While donations are still being accepted at the Walker County Civic Center, donations to the churches are encouraged.
• Chattanooga Times-Free Press has established a Neediest Cases Fund: Southern Storms. It channels contributions to local Red Cross chapters for area tornado relief efforts. Your gift is tax deductible as permitted by law.
• Local contractors should register with FEMA at The Colonnade.
• Jesus is the Way Baptist Ministry has a tornado relief center set up at Bryman Plaza North in Dalton. They will be accepting donations of nonperishable food, hygiene products, water, clothing and any monetary donations. It will be delivered to Catooa County.
• Donations for disaster relief can be made at any Northwest Georgia Bank branch, including the main office and the Nashville St. branch in Ringgold, which are open for normal business hours.
• Ringgold United Methodist Church, which is serving as a recovery site, needs volunteers for: team 1 – on site distribution of food and water; team 2 – care/assessment team; team 3 – manual labor/clean up team; and team 4 – church security team.
• Disaster Relief donations can also be taken to the Bank of LaFayette.
• Ringgold High and Middle schools have established an athletic department fund to help rebuild their stadiums, replace equipment and more. Those who would like to help Ringgold athletics can send monetary donations to the RHS and RMS Athletic Fund, c/o Northwest Georgia Bank, P.O. Box 789 Ringgold, Ga. 30736. 
• According to the Walker County Commissioner's office, individuals who would like to contribute to the relief effort can provide cash donations to the Walker County Commissioner’s Office in LaFayette.
• The Chattanooga Area Red Cross is taking volunteers and monetary donations. Donations can be sent to Greater Chattanooga Area American Red Cross Chapter, 801 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37403
• Rep. Tom Graves’ District Offices, located in Gainesville and Dalton, are accepting the following donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday: clean folded tarps, cleaning supplies, cases of bottled water, infant formula, infant and toddler diapers.
• To provide hair, makeup and other services related to prom, contact TheGoodStuff@CoCoMcCain.com or contact the Stylebar’s Rose Riley at 423-756-2718.

For Victims:

• Ringgold Telephone Company (RTC) & Gateway Bank and Trust will host a Distribution Day on May 20 for local tornado victims in need of supplies. A tent will be set-up at the Gateway Bank and Trust in Ringgold from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Victims of the disaster may stop by to pick up basic supplies such as canned food, paper goods, personal hygiene items and more. Families with no means of transportation may request delivery of supplies by calling Gateway Bank and Trust at 706-965-5500.
• Relief efforts in Ringgold are staged from three designated assistance centers: the Ringgold United Methodist Church, 7884 Nashville Street; Poplar Springs Baptist Church, 422 Poplar Springs Road; and Cherokee Valley Baptist Church, 1495 Cherokee Valley Road.
• The Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) provides assistance to eligible owners of nonindustrial private forest (NIPF) land to help restore land damaged by a natural disaster. For more information, call 706-935-3162 or 706-295-6021 or visit http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov and www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.
• The Georgia Department of Labor and the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission Workforce Investment Board have received a $5 million National Emergency Grant to assist with cleanup and recovery efforts from severe storms that struck
  Georgia April 27-28. The funds will be used to create temporary jobs for laid-off workers to assist in the recovery efforts, as well as human services staff to help those in the communities affected. For more information, contact the Northwest Georgia office at 706-861-1990 or the LaFayette office at 706-638-5525.
• A Red Cross bulk supply distribution location will be set up at Southern Baptist Kitchen, located at 7611 Nashville St. in Ringgold and Ringgold First Baptist Church, located at 7611 Nashville St. in Ringgold from noon to 6 p.m. Items available to families impacted by the recent tornadoes include comfort kits containing personal hygiene items, clean-up kits, rakes, shovels, bleach, gloves, water, sunscreen, hydrocortisone cream, insect repellent, garbage bags, dust masks, paper towels and rags.
• Anyone who needs information on Red Cross tornado relief services in Georgia is urged to call the Red Cross-Georgia Tornado Call Center, a toll-free number, at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and follow the prompts for disaster relief in Georgia. The call center, open daily from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., is a resource for families with questions about what types of services the Red Cross is providing to disaster survivors and how to access them in local communities.
• The Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS) has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to operate a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). This program is designed to provide food stamp benefits to people who might not ordinarily qualify for the food stamp program.The D-SNAP program will run from May 12-19 at the be Catoosa Hall at 7658 Nashville Street in Ringgold, and at the Walker County Ag Center.
• Christ Chapel Share and Care Mission, 281 Inman Street, in Ringgold continues to serve the community as a food bank. The location also has shoes, clothing, bedding, furniture, cleaning supplies, and food is available for victims.
• According to county manager Mike Helton: Residents may continue placing storm-related debris at the street for curbside pickup. You may expedite the cleanup process by separating vegetative and non-vegetative debris, segregating household hazardous waste, and keeping debris away from fire hydrants, valves, and utility poles. Citizens affected by the storm event and needing tree and brush debris picked up at the side of the roads should contact public works division at 706-935-3574 to be placed on pick up schedule.
• If you are in need of a pet foster home, call 706-937-2287 or email Catoosa County Animal Care at catoosaanimal@gmail.com . If you have lost a pet, you can post it this Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Animals-Lost-and-Found-from-TN-GA-Tornadoes/199593240078392. You can also email them to animalslosttnga@yahoo.com .
• County residents needing assistance may now call 706-965-2500 for non-emergency assistance relating to the aftermath of the storm. Ringgold residents may call 706-935-3061.
• Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has set up a central office at the Walker County Ag Center in Rock Spring and at the Shirley Smith Learning Center in Ringgold. Hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday and from
  1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
• Teams of specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) offer techniques to lessen the impact of disaster-related property damages at the Lowe’s and Home Depot located on Battlefield Parkway in Fort Olgethorpe. Hours at all stores are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• To help people displaced by the recent tornadoes find rental housing, the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) are encouraging displaced survivors to use www.GeorgiaHousingSearch.org.
• Customers who lost a driver’s license or identification card due to the April 27 storms may be eligible to obtain a free replacement from the Department of Driver Services (DDS). In order to obtain a free replacement, eligible customers must visit a DDS customer service center and present documentation of their identities. For more information, visit www.dds.ga.gov.
• The Georgia Department of Labor Rapid Response Team has an office at the Catoosa County Learning Center, located at 36 Muscogee Trail in Ringgold. Contact the Help Line at either 706-965-7138 or 706-965-7139 with more questions or for more information.
• Disaster survivors can apply for federal assistance directly through web-enabled mobile phone devices or smartphones at m.fema.gov. They can also call 800-621-FEMA or TTY 800-462-7585, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Survivors also can register online anytime at www.disasterassistance.gov.
• Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, a fraternal benefit organization with more than 28,000 members living in north Georgia, reminds members who sustained significant storm damage to their primary residence that they may qualify for a natural disaster benefit. Disaster assistance is one benefit of membership in Woodmen of the World that is intended to help members in time of need. Members should contact their local Woodmen of the World Representative or State Service Center for more information.
• You may be eligible for disaster unemployment benefits. The Northwest Georgia Department of Labor office is located at 96 Stuart Road in Fort Oglethorpe. Their phone number is 706-861-1990 or call 1-877-709-8185. If your claim is denied, call Georgia Legal Services Program for legal help at 800-498-9469. Farmworkers in any county can call Georgia Legal Services Program’s Migrant Project in Atlanta at 800-537-7496.
• If you suffered any damages or losses on farmland and to livestock, contact the LaFayette Farm Service Agency office at 706-638-1558, extension 2.
• The U. S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance has opened offices at the Shirley Smith Learning Center, located on the Catoosa Benton Place Campus. They will offer assistance to homeowners as well as business owners. The hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. You may come to the Learning Center to apply or you can go disasterloan.sba.gov/ela and download the application. You may also call 1-800-659-2955.
  

To list what you need and to share what you have available, visit www.helpringgold.com