Orphan Grain Train - Domestic Efforts - Oklahoma and Kansas Tornados

Oklahoma and Kansas Tornadoes, May 3, 1999 and
Orphan Grain Train's Domestic Disaster Fund

Orphan Grain Train helps Lutheran Disaster Response and local agencies after disasters are no longer "news." We provide resources that help survivors start over. Tornadoes like those in Oklahoma and Kansas on May 3, 1999, shatter more than homes and neighborhoods.

The Fujita Scale of tornado intensity developed by Tetsuya Fujita rates tornados from F-0 to F-5. Damage from the largest tornado on May 3, 1999, was beyond the Fujita scale according to Lutheran Disaster Response, since wind speeds in excess of 318 mph were detected from data collected after the storms.

Orphan Grain Train assisted the relief and recovery efforts of Lutheran Disaster Response in Kansas and Oklahoma for one year after the May 3, 1999, tornadoes. Several semi-loads of groceries were sent to disaster recovery food banks in Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas.

In addition to groceries, semi-loads of sheet-rock were sent by Orphan Grain Train to Oklahoma, Arkansas, and to Parsons, Kansas, to help home repair efforts of Lutheran Disaster Response. Over 10,000 homes in Oklahoma and 4,000 homes in Kansas were damaged or destroyed by the tornadoes that hit May 3. Orphan Grain Train's large Winnebago camper (the "Gospel Express") was place in Mulhall, Oklahoma, for a year as a relief services office of Lutheran Disaster Response. Mulhal was nearly wiped out on May 3, 1999.

Checks or money orders payable to "Orphan Grain Train," PO Box 1466, Norfolk, NE 68702, marked "Domestic Disasters" will help purchase and ship food, medical supplies, building materials and other items needed by local relief and recovery efforts after tornadoes, floods and hurricanes. Any donations in excess of
annual disaster recovery needs will be used for other domestic relief efforts by Orphan Grain Train.

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Orphan Grain Train International Office
PO Box 1466
Norfolk, NE 68702
(402) 371-7393
FAX (402) 371-7350
email@ogt.org