Todd Taylor of Samaritan's Purse says volunteers are already getting to work in Perryton, Texas, where a tornado recently struck, killing three people and injuring dozens more. The twister first hit a mobile home community and then proceeded for eight miles through the town.
"About 200 total structures [were] completely destroyed," Taylor details. "That's businesses and homes, with a pretty even split, [and it] looks like about 90 additional buildings damaged were commercial."
Several hundred homes were affected "to various degrees." In total, about 500 structures were impacted in Perryton.
Unfortunately, the destruction did not stop there.
"The city of Tulsa, Oklahoma was hit over the weekend with 90 mile-an-hour straight-line winds," Taylor reports. "Our team will be assessing and meeting with church pastors in the Tulsa area to see if there's a response needed."
Other areas in Tennessee and Mississippi were also damaged in the line of storms, but Taylor says local recovery teams are already addressing those locations.
In Perryton, Samaritan's Purse says more volunteers are "urgently needed" to help with cleanup -- tarping roofs, cutting up downed trees, and "offering tangible help in Jesus' name." The evangelical Christian humanitarian aid organization is also asking that people pray that God will strengthen the residents of Perryton as they face the rubble and work to rebuild.
