Northeastern Colorado Tornado Response
Yesterday afternoon, the nation watched as tornadoes as wide as a mile ripped through northeastern Colorado. One of the areas hit the hardest was Windsor, Colorado.
Mile High United Way, American Red Cross and The Salvation Army work together in the Colorado Disaster Relief Collaboration – responding first to the needs of Colorado when large scale disasters occur.
Northeastern Colorado is in need of volunteers licensed in construction trades – especially electricians and plumbers, to help families repair their homes.
Please call United Way’s 2-1-1 to volunteer or donate to the victims of the Northeastern Colorado Tornadoes.
Colleen Carey is a 5th Grade teacher at Mountain View Elementary School in Windsor, CO. Here is her story:
“It’s tradition on the last day of school to walk around Windsor Lake and then have a picnic in the park with all the students. As we were about to start the picnic, the weather started to get really awful – thunder, lightning and hail. We were back in our classrooms for only minutes before the principal got on the intercom and told us to go into emergency tornado procedure. We got all the kids into the gym and the power went out. The kids were terrified. We were all in crouched positions and the hail was so loud – it sounded like bombs or guns. A lot of the kids were crying; it was horrible.
“When we got the all clear sign, we came out of the gym. It was then that we saw the damage to our town. Trees were ripped up, power lines in the streets, debris everywhere, cars totaled, houses gone. I saw an RV plowed into the front of someone’s house. We were all in disbelief.
“The area with the most devastation - the east side of Windsor, was also home to most of the kids at Mountain View Elementary. As parents started to pick up their children, they had to tell them that their homes were gone, or damaged. We had families hugging each other and getting hysterical, trying to figure out what to do next.
“I grew up here, so this is surreal. You never think that something like this will happen to the place where you live. The sense of loss and level of shock is unreal. It’s just so sad, this is such a great town with a great sense of community.”
Please help the town of Windsor rebuild. Dial 2-1-1 to donate.
May 24th, 2008 at 2:11 pm
I have a co-worker and friend, Liane Anderson, whose house was very damages by the tornado. She lives in the Cornerstone area, and myself and several of her other co-workers want to come out and help clean up in the area tomorrow, Sunday. Would this be possible, or are they even letting individuals into the damaged areas yet? If you need help any any other areas we would also be willing to help. Thanks!
Tanya
May 26th, 2008 at 11:56 am
Hello,
I am very interested in helping with the tornado relief efforts in Windsor. I just wanted to write and thank you for organizing a group of citizens to help with these relief efforts, and I was wondering if I might be able to join your group. If you all are helping to clean up residences anytime soon, I would love to participate. My email address is samps20h@mtholyoke.edu and my phone number is (970) 631 3748. If at all possible, please be in touch.
Thanks again,
Hayley Sampson (Fort Collins)
May 27th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
For anyone who would like to help with Tornado relief efforts, please dial 2-1-1. Thanks!