How to help Tornado Disaster Victims – two and four legged

Time for the Twilight Bark!

We are deeply saddened and amazed at the devastation caused by the category F5 tornado that ripped through Joplin, Missouri. The images in the media are devastating and the rising death toll and emotional toll is awful.

In the face of fearsome disasters people are rising to the call for help. All of over the country and the world, people are reaching out with their money, their concern and their prayers to help those devastated by tornadoes. If you surf the net, you’ll find videos of people, touched and moved by this disaster, who dropped what they were doing and drove to Missouri and to Alabama and other areas devastated to lend a helping hand — Not just Red Cross volunteers, but regular people with a will to help.

Obviously, we all can’t drive to the central U.S. and the South, but we can help with our money and our prayers. This blog post reprises some good information on how to help 2 legged and 4 legged victims of the tornado.

Please verify any organization that you choose to give money to. Even a small $10 donation will help. Many of these people have lost everything. Here is the information:

To help animal victims of the latest Tornadoes please follow this link to the Humane Society of Missouri
http://www.hsmo.org/news/disaster-response-team-2.html . This organization is designated by the State Emergency Management Agency as the lead animal welfare agency in response to disasters and other emergencies in Missouri.

A Facebook page has been set up to reunite lost pets and families. Volunteers are being asked to foster displaced pets and post pictures of lost and temporarily abandoned animals. Facebook member have shared their pictures of devastation. Almost 4,000 members have joined and are reaching out by posting pictures and phone numbers, and donating. Click the link to follow Animals Lost and Found from the Joplin, MO Tornado.

Dog is rescued in the Joplin devastation.

Joplin children walk through the devastation with their dog.

A woman finds comfort with her little ferret.

Here is how you can help the 2 legged victims!

REPRINT OF ARTICLE FROM http://abcnews.go.com/US/joplin-missouri-tornado-victims/story?id=13665690

Rescue efforts are under way as residents of Joplin, Mo., try to pick up the pieces of their lives after a devastating tornado hit the city of about 50,000 and severe storms ravaged the Midwest this weekend.

At least 116 people have been reported dead in Joplin. Authorities say 25 percent to 30 percent of the city has been damaged by the tornado, which was reportedly one mile wide, with winds of nearly 200 mph.

Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Sunday evening and activated the National Guard. Find out below how to help this city, 160 miles south of Kansas City.

Donate to the Tornado Relief Effort

The American Red Cross is providing food, shelter and emotional support in Missouri, Minnesota and other parts of the Midwest.

To make a donation to the
American Red Cross’ Disaster Relief, visit its online donation page. Once there you can enter the zip code for Joplin, 64801, to make sure that the money will be directed to their local Joplin chapter.

You can also call 1-800-RED-CROSS or text “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Contributions may also be sent to your local Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013.

Charlie Riedel/AP Photo

An emergency vehicle drives through a severely damaged neighborhood in Joplin, Mo., Monday, May 23, 2011. A large tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 89 people.

World Vision teams are heading to Joplin, Mo., and northern Minneapolis, Minn., to assess the tornado damage. World Vision focuses on aiding children and is providing hygiene kits, cleaning supplies and other relief and building items.

To donate $10, or text the word “TORNADO” to 20222 or call 888-56-CHILD.

To donate to the United Way, call 417-624-0153.

The Salvation Army‘s emergency disaster services teams are helping to feed residents and first responders in Joplin; Reading, Kan.; and parts of Minnesota affected by the storms.

To donate to the Salvation Army’s efforts, visit www.salvationarmyusa.org
and click on the
donation page.

You can call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and donors can text “JOPLIN” to 80888 to make a $10 donation. And you can mail a donation to Joplin Tornado Relief, the Salvation Army, 3637 Broadway, Kansas City, Mo. 64111

To Help and Find Relatives

The American Red Cross’ Safe and Well website helps friends and family connect with those in devastated areas.

On Facebook, several pages have been created to assist concerned relatives in finding loved ones and getting information on how to help: Help Joplin and Joplin, Mo., Tornado Recovery.

Missouri residents with medical skills who want to help, can go to ShowMeResponse.org.

ABC News affiliate KMBC.com contributed to this article.

We can show our love and caring by giving to those in need.