Emergency Response to Midwest Tornadoes

This will be our final update as International Medical Corps’ response to the Midwest Tornado emergency draws to a close.

To continue supporting International Medical Corps, please visit our “Responding to the Conflict in Ukraine” project to learn about how our teams are addressing needs in Ukraine and in neighboring countries. Learn more about our Ukraine crisis response here: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/responding-to-the-conflict-in-ukraine/

From late in the evening on December 10th through the morning of December 11th, 2021, a series of 52 severe tornadoes tore through the midwestern United States. The storm ravaged a path hundreds of miles long, devastating neighborhoods and electrical grids throughout. Kentucky was especially hard hit—nearly 90 people were reported dead and almost 1,000 more were immediately displaced.

Months after tornadoes decimated Mayfield, KY, the clean-up carries on. Even as debris removal efforts persist and the long process of rebuilding begins, COVID-19 continues to pose a looming threat, as dense temporary housing and already overwhelmed medical facilities serve as potential hotbeds for transmission.

Following the tornadoes, International Medical Corps immediately mobilized an emergency response team to assess the damage and determine needs in the hardest-hit communities—including Mayfield, where the collapse of a large candle factory and the resulting deaths marked the most devastating tornado event in the state’s history.

International Medical Corps partnered with KentuckyCare, a federally qualified health center that delivers comprehensive primary care, urgent care, vaccination and mental health services across the area, including one location in Mayfield and several in the surrounding communities. After providing staffing support to KentuckyCare in January, International Medical Corps moved into the next phase of its response. With many KentuckyCare patients displaced and in need of care, the center is looking to expedite the opening of its new clinic, situated adjacent to the tornado-affected area. International Medical Corps has assisted with the procurement of critical clinical supplies and infrastructure, from examination tables and IT equipment to defibrillators and lab materials.

Thanks to the generosity of the GlobalGiving community and other donors, International Medical Corps reached hundreds of men, women and children impacted by the natural disaster. Across the tornado response, and in Mayfield especially, our teams have supported local health facilities so they can build back stronger. We thank you for making it all possible.