CINCINNATI — A group of six emergency responders from Matthew 25: Ministries has been on the road since the first round of deadly tornadoes struck the southern part of the United States in late March.
Now, with a fresh round of severe storms expected to hammer several parts of the country over the new few days, the greater Cincinnati-based nonprofit has another team waiting in the wings on standby.
What You Need To Know
- A team from Matthew 25: Ministries traveled to Mississippi shortly after a deadly outbreak of tornadoes on March 24
- The Christian organization has operated a disaster relief team for more than 30 years
- With a new round of severe weather on the way, Matthew 25 is waiting out this latest storm but relocating the six-person team
- The organization relies on corporate sponsors, but leadership called support from the community vital to its operation
The Christian organization’s Disaster Response Team headed to Mississippi shortly after an overnight string of tornadoes on March 24 devastated western and central parts of the state and portions of Alabama. The National Weather Service said wind gusts got up to 170 mph, flattening homes, destroying businesses and decimating infrastructure, such as power lines.
In the city of Rolling Fork, Miss., the town’s water tower toppled. The small rural town is where the Matthew 25 team began its distribution of relief supplies before moving to other parts of Mississippi and Arkansas.
Beyond the physical wreckage, the storms killed at least 24 people in Mississippi.
A new round of fierce storms last weekend spawned tornadoes in 11 states, resulting in the deaths of at least another 32 people, according to the Associated Press. The AP report mentioned dozens of others suffering injuries.
The severe weather this past weekend forced the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to expand recourses to the northern part of the state, said Malary White, the agency’s chief communications officer.
Spectrum News forecasters are warning of more severe weather, including tornadoes, Tuesday and Wednesday that could hammer several parts of the south and Midwest still reeling from recent storms.
White emphasized that emergency response “starts local and ends local,” but she also spoke highly of the support received from outside Mississippi.
“It’s been kind of all-hands-on-deck,” said White, speaking of what she called a community-wide response to the recent weather.
Right now, MEMA still operating in recovery mode, White said. She noted the group still needs to clear debris, repair utility lines and get emergency aid to those who need it. The American Red Cross is assisting at least 200 people still displaced in Mississippi by providing temporary shelter.
White voiced her appreciation for the quick reaction of the American Red Cross and other disaster relief partners. But she also praised generosity of smaller organization, such as Matthew 25, which have provided everything from financial donations to boots-on-the-ground support.
“We wouldn’t be able to do this without those members of the community and those around the nation, sending that support to us,” White added. “We can’t thank the volunteers and all those that have donated to help these folks get to the next level in the recovery process.”
From ‘suitcase ministry’ to international relief agency
Founded in 1991 by Rev. Wendell Mettey, Matthew 25: Ministries has grown from a small ministry into an international relief organization distributing more than 15 million pounds of products to those in need each year.
The organization responds to humanitarian aid disaster relief situations around the world.
“We go in and try to help in those areas, whether it’s through sending our initial response team to distribute supplies and providing essential services, like laundry, or by shipping truckloads of aid to our partners in those areas,” said Ben Williams, Matthew 25’s director of emergency relief.
In the early days, the organization shipped supplies in suitcases aboard U.S. States Air Force cargo planes. Now, Matthew 25 ships aid via 40-foot seagoing containers and semi-trailers to disaster victims around the world. It's delivered more than 275 million pounds to approximately 70 countries over the past three decades.
“We’re just a group of people committed to helping others,” said Williams, who’s been part of the ministry for the past 10 years.
The need for relief services has increased in recent years, at least in Mississippi, said White. In her four years with MEMA, White has seen the number of tornadoes in Mississippi skyrocket.
In 2022, Mississippi set a state record for the number of confirmed tornadoes in a year with 137. Of that total, 96 of those happened between March and May.
“It seems like something’s happening every single week, some type of severe weather event,” White said.
The increased frequency has led people to develop what she called “storm fatigue.” While said she fears people are drowning out weather-alert messages.
“It only takes one storm to devastate a community,” she said. “We’re reminding people to take those warnings seriously because one could impact you and your family some day.”
There are traditional “busy seasons” for natural disasters, Williams said. Springtime is tornado season, for example, and over the summer there tends to be a rise in wildfires, he said. The fall typically features a considerable number of hurricanes and “second tornado season,” Williams said.
He pointed out that there aren’t any hard rules. One could happen at any time.
“Over the past couple weeks, there’ve been more back-to-back severe storms than what we’ve seen in recent memory. That’s why our team is always ready to respond,” he added.
Monitoring the situation in Mississippi and beyond
The Matthew 25 team is spending at least Tuesday monitoring the situation, Williams said. They pulled their team out of the expected storm area. Once those storms pass, they’ll reposition their operations to a hard-hit area in Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, or elsewhere, Williams said. It also has a standby crew — made up of six staff members at the organization’s supply warehouse in Blue Ash — ready to roll out to another location as soon as they can do so safely.
Everyone who deploys with Matthew 25 for a disaster relief mission is a full-time employee, Williams said.
“Their trucks are packed and ready to go whenever they’re needed,” he added.
Those crews aren’t going empty-handed, either. They’re also bringing a collection of specialized equipment. The relief teams have a trailer full of supplies ranging from chainsaws to power generators and fans.
The Matthew 25 team is going to continue handing out personal care items, tarps, fresh water, baby formula, first-aid kits, safety supplies and other essentials, Williams said.
Donations it receives from corporate partners, such as Cintas Corporation, are invaluable, Williams said. Duracell, a battery maker, provided a large truck to let residents charge their phones, computers and other devices.
For the past nine years, Matthew 25 has worked with Procter and Gamble through its Tide Loads of Hope Mobile Laundry Unit. The consumer giant created the mobile laundromat to let disaster victims wash their clothes for free.
While corporate sponsors are critical to their options, Williams stressed the role that support from the community plays in Matthew 25’s mission. They’re accepting product donations at their warehouse. They’ll also accept monetary donations.
Any funds designated for tornado relief will go toward that purpose, Matthew 25 wrote on its website. Donors can do so by writing “2023 U.S. Tornado Outbreak” in the memo line of their check, or by typing it in the “Additional Information” field of the organization’s online giving form.
Details are on the Matthew 25: Ministries website.
“We can’t be everywhere, but we do our best to take care of and meet the needs of as many people as possible,” Williams said.