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February 2, 2009

Feeding efforts expanded over weekend

Having no electricity often means no source of food, so the Oklahoma Red Cross and others have jumped in to feed locals.

By JOSH NEWTON

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — The ice may have slowly melted away in most areas, but the Oklahoma Red Cross continues expansive efforts to feed folks in Cherokee, Adair and Delaware counties still feeling the brunt of the storm.

Friday, three additional emergency-response vehicles and volunteer drivers arrived in the area from Oklahoma City and Enid to provide meals, resulting in a total of six large trucks making the deliveries.

“The boundaries [were] the Arkansas border on the east, State Highway 10 in Cherokee County on the west, Siloam Springs in the north and Cookson to the south,” said area Director Hope Margarit.

“We focused on towns on the main roads.”

Those communities included, among others, Westville, Stilwell, Eldon, Proctor, Christie, Welling, Park Hill, Cookson, Scraper and West Siloam.

Margarit said the additional volunteers and trucks has made rural meal assistant smoother and faster.

“The feeding is covering about 90 percent of Adair County and 50 percent of Cherokee County, along with West Siloam Springs, which is in Delaware County,” Margarit said.

“On Saturday, disaster assessment teams [began] looking at homes that were damaged.”

Meal count totals Friday showed 2,000 prepared lunches and dinners had been provided.

Also on Friday, the Southern Baptist Disaster Relief kitchen moved to a Baptist church camp in Cookson.

Officials say those areas were hit hardest by the ice storm that knocked out power for thousands and toppled trees on cars, houses and roads, making travel difficult if not impossible in some areas.

Locally, shelters were open to assist the ice-storm victims at Cookson, Stilwell, Westville and Tahlequah. Margarit expects the Red Cross to be assisting with meals for at least several more days, but much of that depends on when electricity is restored to those who remain without.

On Saturday, disaster assessment teams began evaluating damage to homes.



You can help

The Oklahoma Red Cross is in need of financial donations to help sheltering and feeding operations. To help, visit www. oklahomaredcross.org. As of Saturday morning, officials expected Red Cross relief expenses to hit at least $250,000.

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