TEMPLE, Texas — Volunteers with Bell County Emergency Management (BCEM) and the Salvation Army have set up distribution centers to offer free meals and water to those impacted by Wednesday's tornado that struck Temple.
On Wednesday, an EF-2 tornado touched down near West Temple and injured 30 people, according to the National Weather Service. With peak winds of 120 mph, it created a path of destruction of homes and businesses, as well as snapped trees and downed power lines, causing tens of thousands of people to lose power in the area. Bell County remains the most impacted county with over 20,000 outages on Friday, May 24.
BCEM is set up at Lake Belton High School, located at 9809 FM-2483 in Temple. They closed at 6 p.m. on Friday, but will reopen again on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
BCEM Coordinator Bob Reinhard said the overall need of the community will determine how long volunteers will be at Lake Belton High School.
He also said they've seen outpouring support from the community and with volunteers wanting to help.
"We're getting so many people asking what they can do as far as donations and things of that nature," Reinhard said. "If it doesn't take very much for the community to come together, it's proven itself to be that way."
"What would you want done if you were in that disaster? You would want someone to come in and just be there as holding hands per se," adided Bryan Miller, a volunteer with Aerial Recovery, part of the Heal the Heroes Program -- a program of volunteers with a military and first responder background.
"What more a better way than to come and volunteer your time, your efforts, even if it's just handing out a bottle of water, or just saying a prayer with somebody," Miller said.
If you are interested in volunteering for BCEM, but you're already affiliated with a volunteer organization, you can sign up at crisiscleanup.org. If you're not with an organization, you can call 254-298-5970.
Meanwhile the Salvation Army plans to serve lunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday at their location at 419 W. Avenue G.
On Friday, its mobile feeding unit drove into neighborhoods that were impacted by the tornado and passed out food and water to residents who were working on home repairs.
"With the temperature reaching 95 degrees, with a heat index of 107, cold bottles of water and a bite to eat proved to be a great relief to many," the Salvation Army said ina news release Friday.
So far, the Salvation Army said it served 370 meals and expect to serve much more over the weekend.
The Salvation Army in Bell County is currently accepting donations of cases of water and non-perishable food. For updates on their services, check out their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SalArmyBellCounty. To donate go to www.salvationarmybellcounty.org