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Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management says volunteers, equipment still ‘desperately’ needed for tornado debris cleanup

Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Bob Ateca stands outside of his home in Holly Hills on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 in East Brainerd, Tenn. Late Sunday night, an EF-3 tornado struck the East Brainerd area, causing significant damage and destroying thousands of buildings. Staff photo by Troy Stolt / Bob Ateca stands outside of his home in Holly Hills on Wednesday, April 15, 2020 in East Brainerd, Tenn. Late Sunday night, an EF-3 tornado struck the East Brainerd area, causing significant damage and destroying thousands of buildings.

By Kim Sebring, compiler April 30, 2020 1 min read

Volunteers are still “desperately needed” to help with tornado debris clean up in the East Brainerd area, according to a news release from the Hamilton County Office of Emergency Management.

Needed equipment with experienced operators includes cherry picker trucks to help assist cutting tops of trees and skid steers to help move heavy debris from damaged property.

Those wanting to volunteer should call (423) 541-6915.

Those able to offer equipment and/or personnel to assist storm victims should call (844) 965-1386.

Tornado victims who need to register for FEMA individual assistance, information on debris management or applying for small business loans can visit www.hamiltonready.org.

The National Weather Service reported seven tornadoes touched down in the Tennessee Valley on Easter Sunday, killing dozens, including 11 in the Tennessee Valley, and leaving thousands of structures destroyed.

One of them, an EF3 tornado with estimated wind speeds up to 145 mph, traveled 14.5 miles from southeast Chattanooga to Ooltewah and ripped through the Holly Hills subdivision towards East Brainerd Road, killing three people and injured nearly two dozen as well as damaging more than 1,000 buildings and causing millions of dollars in damage.