Direct Relief  is reaching out to partners at the local, state, and national level to offer medical aid in response to the devastating tornado that struck Mississippi yesterday. USA program staff is contacting the National Association of Community Health Centers as well as partner clinics in the region to assess their needs in treating people injured in the tornado, which as reportedly left 10 people dead and hundreds homeless.

Bringing winds of up to 188 miles per hour, the tornado destroyed homes and downed power lines and trees in seven counties in Mississippi, where the governor has declared a state of emergency today. Trauma injuries and lacerations from broken glass are likely consequences following a tornado.

Direct Relief’s longtime experience providing ongoing and emergency medical aid in the Gulf States, including Mississippi, facilitates an immediate response. In addition to the Safety Net Inventory Support program, which has provided clinics and health centers nationwide with more than $175 million (wholesale) in needed medicines and supplies for low-income patients, Direct Relief USA equips key partner facilities in the Gulf States with Hurricane Preparedness Packs each year. These programs have expanded during the long-term response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005.

Direct Relief is prepared to tap its standing inventory to assist partners as needed to help the people injured in the tornado.