Posted: Friday, April 10, 2009 5:23 pm

The Heart of Tennessee Chapter is on the scene in Murfreesboro and surrounding communities to help those affected by the tornado.

An emergency shelter will open at 5:30 p.m. at New Vision Baptist Church located at 1750 N. Thompson Lane in Murfreesboro to help residents impacted by the storm by offering a safe place to stay, a hot meal, minor first aid, and a shoulder to lean on.

Pets are not permitted at Red Cross shelters.

The Red Cross is only accepting monetary donations to help disaster victims. “In the days and weeks to come, the Heart

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Please note that the Red Cross is NOT accepting in-kind donations of food and clothing for the disaster. We CANNOT accept walk-in donations at the shelter of physical items such as food, clothing or any other items. Red Cross is required to provide equal assistance to all disaster victims and cash donations allow us to purchase large quantities of food and other items so that we can effectively do this. The Red Cross is NOT a government agency and we provide assistance through generous donations from the public. The best way to help disaster victims at this time is through financial donations made online at www.midtnredcross.org or by mailing a check to the Heart of Tennessee Chapter at 836 Commercial Court, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
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of Tennessee Chapter will be coordinating with emergency officials and local community partners to help residents impacted by the tornado get back on their feet,” said spokesperson Beth Ferguson.

“The Red Cross will keep shelters open as long as needed, in addition to providing mobile feeding and mental health support to those affected by the storm,” said Ferguson.

The Nashville Area Chapter of the American Red Cross has also deployed two Emergency Response Vehicles to Murfreesboro as well as 750 Heater Meals, snacks, bottled water and volunteers to assist with the operation.

The Red Cross offers the following tips for those in the affected area to stay safer: Continue listening to local radio or television stations or a NOAA Weather Radio for updated information and instructions.

If you are away from home, return only when authorities say it is safe to do so.

Avoid damaged areas as your presence might hamper rescue and other emergency operations and put you at further risk from the residual effects of tornadoes.

Stay out of damaged buildings.

When it is safe to return home, wear long pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and sturdy shoes when examining your walls, doors, staircases and windows for damage.

Watch out for fallen power lines or broken gas lines and report them to the utility company immediately.

Use battery-powered lanterns or flashlights when examining buildings. Avoid using candles.

If you smell gas or hear a blowing or hissing noise, open a window and get everyone out of the building quickly. Turn off the gas using the outside main valve if you can, and call the gas company from a neighbor’s home. If you turn off the gas for any reason, it must be turned back on by a professional.

Clean up spilled medications, bleaches, gasoline, or other flammable liquids that could become a fire hazard.

Take pictures of the damage, both of the building and its contents, for insurance claims.

Use the telephone only for emergency calls. Telephone lines are frequently overwhelmed in disaster situations. They need to be kept clear for emergency calls to get through. Watch your animals closely.

Keep all your animals under your direct control. Your pets may be able to escape from your home or through a broken fence. Pets may become disoriented, particularly because tornadoes and the heavy rains that accompany them will usually affect scent markers that normally allow animals to find their homes.

The Red Cross depends on the generosity of the American people to fulfill our mission. To help victims of the tornado outbreak and local disaster victims please contact the Heart of Tennessee Chapter of the American Red Cross at 615-893-4272 or visit www.midtnredcross.org to make an online contribution.

The Heart of Tennessee American Red Cross Chapter provides vital emergency assistance to help victims of local disasters in Rutherford, Bedford, Cannon, Franklin, Coffee & Moore counties. Over the past year the Chapter trained nearly 8, 237 people in CPR and First Aid and transmitted 191 emergency messages for military families.

Over 16,000 pints of life-saving blood were collected from the community last year.

All of these services are made possible by over 130 dedicated local Red Cross volunteers as well as through generous gifts from the local community. To get more information or to make a financial contribution to the local chapter please call (615) 893-4272 or log on to www.midtnredcross.org to donate online.