This is a running list of announcements related to the storms that swept through North Georgia last week. Please remember to update your browser for updates.

Twenty Georgia counties are designated in the most recent FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) disaster declaration. Those counties are Bartow, Catoosa, Coweta, Dade, Floyd, Gordon, Greene, Harris, Heard, Lamar, Lumpkin, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Spalding, Troup and Walker.

North Georgia EMC has warned local residents to watch for scam artists impersonating power company personnel. All NGEMC workers carry ID badges with company and employee names and pictures, and wear work shirts. If you have a question about whether someone claiming to be with NGEMC is an actual employee, call your nearest NGEMC office:

Calhoun: 706-629-3160

Dalton: 706-259-9441

Fort Oglethorpe: 706-866-2231

Trion- 706-734-7341

Fundraisers

May 6

· The New Ole Pickin Barn is sponsoring a community wide benefit for victims of the storm Friday, May 6 at 6 p.m. The barn is located at Mack Smith Road on the same parking lot at Unity Baptist Church. There will be a $5 donation charge at the door for an evening of music and dancing. Local celebrities are all being invited to bring their instruments.

May 7

· There will be a benefit for Ringgold tornado victims Saturday, May 7, from 1 p.m. - 7 p.m. at the Mountain Creek Harley Davidson

Center in Dalton. There will be live music, multiple local vendors. Mr. T's will be selling pizza and Fire Pigs will be selling BBQ. There will be a dunking tank and several large inflatables donated by Astro Jump. About 25 local businesses have pledged or committed prizes for a raffle. Prizes include free oil changes, photography sessions, hand-crafted items, paintings, gift certificates for local eateries, and a free tooth whitening

session valued at $450. Each vendor will donate a portion of their sales to the Red Cross and 100 percent of all other proceeds will go directly to the Red Cross. Red Cross will have a representative on site for the entire event too.

· The Walker County Chamber of Commerce is teaming up Saturday, May 7, with the Northwest Georgia Council of Realtors and the Village Sports Bar & Grill in Rock Spring and the local band Bounty Hunter and Friends to host a Neighbor to Neighbor Benefit that will kick off with live music at 5 p.m. There will be a $10 donation to relief efforts cover charge, and the event will be collecting and accepting non-perishable food items.

· Triple 7 Studio and Honest Pint in Chattanooga are hosting a benefit with live music and a silent auction May 7 from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Honest Pint, located at 35 Patten Parkway in Chattanooga. Two of the bands playing are residents of Ringgold. There will be a door charge, silent auction, and concession sales, all of which will benefit Ringgold tornado victims.

Donations & volunteers

• Mohawk has donated a warehouse at 2640 Highway 41 South (a mile past the airport on the left) to the Love Your Neighbor Relief Organization of Gordon County. They are taking any and all donations. Call 770-608-3339 or 706-263-1437 for more information.

• Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson is requesting that volunteers wishing to help the tornado victims in Walker County report to Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church, 90 Nick-A-Jack Lane, Flintstone, GA 30725. Anyone wishing to donate water, refreshments, or food may call or go to the Walker County Civic Center, 10052 N Hwy 27, Rock Spring, GA 30739, (706)375-7702.

• The following items are needed and can be dropped off at either of Rep. Tom Graves’ District Offices (listed below), from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Gainesville District Office

311 Green Street Northwest, Suite 302

Gainesville, GA 30501

(770) 535-2592

Dalton District Office

702 South Thornton Avenue

Dalton, GA 30720

(706) 226-5320

Items needed: Clean Folded Tarps, C & D Batteries, Cases of Bottled Water (Large Quantity Needed, Infant Formula, Infant and Toddler Diapers, Boxes of Spaghetti and Jars of Purchased Red Sauce, Granola or Cereal Bars.

Note: Please refrain from dropping off items not listed. Clothing cannot be accepted at this time. The above list will be updated as needs change.

Catoosa County residents with questions or in need of assistance may call the helpline at 70-965-7138 or 706-965-7139 every day 8 a.m.-8 p.m. The temporary helpline will remain active for the duration of this week and may continue longer according to local needs. Members of Rep. Graves’ staff will be manning the disaster resource helpline at the Catoosa County Sheriff’s Department, giving a break to the volunteers who have been working 12 hour shifts daily since the tornadoes hit. For the next two days Graves' staff will fill all shifts.

· The Gordon Central Football Team, coaches, touchdown club members and other volunteers will be traveling Friday, May 6, to Dade County and surrounding areas that are in the most need of assistance. GCHS officials and Gordon County Sheriff's Department personnel will corrdinate these efforts. Items needed are: batteries, tarps, duct tape, cleaning supplies, socks, bottled water, powdered milk, shelf milk, and cereal. Donations can be dropped off between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the Gordon Central front office, in Mrs. Fisher’s room #325, or in Mrs. Duncan’s room #218 by Thursday afternoon.

· Blood Assurance is still in need of blood donations and expecting increase in usage over the next few days. O negative and B negative blood are particularly needed. The organization asks that donors begin making appointments beginning May 9 by calling 1-800-962-0628 or by visiting www.bloodassurance.org/.To donate, find a location on their website or visit one of the following locations:

Walmart Fort Oglethorpe 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Walmart Gunbarrel 10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Walmart Dayton 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Walmart Soddy Daisy 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Walmart Ooltewah 10:00 a.m. – 3 p.m.

· NorthPointe Church in Adairsville in accepting donations. For more information, call the church at 770-387-8135.

· At Peace Hospice Care is coordinating with emergency management to collect and deliver relief supplies to both the tornado victims and the relief workers. Items needed for relief workers include bottled water and snack foods that can be eaten on the go. Items needed for victims include personal care items, clothing, water, and food that does not need to be preserved or prepared. Most of these people have lost much if not all they own. Notes of comfort and encouragement will also be delivered. Items can be brought to the office of At Peace Hospice Care at 216B Newtown Road, Calhoun. Newtown road is on Red Bud road between Gordon Hospital and the Piggly Wiggly. The phone number is 706-602-4975.

· Dalton State College is taking donations for Ringgold tornado victims. Drop off boxes are placed in buildings around campus. Most needed items are are bottled water, food (including baby food), paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and personal care items. A Red Cross representative will be by campus on May 6 to pick items up.

· Trinity Baptist Church in Calhoun is accepting donations of supplies to take to Ringgold. Donations of bottled water, non-perishable canned foods and diapers can be dropped off at the church. For more information, call 706-625-5683. Church office hours: 9-5, Monday-Friday. Sunday - 8:30 a.m. - 11 a.m.

· RockBridge Community Church is serving the Red Cross. You can bring items to the church office located across from the library right next to the police station or to the lobby space at the Calhoun Civic Auditorium (our church is held here) our weekend services. Right now the needs are: Hand sanitizer, feminine products, toilet paper, paper towels, wipes, bottled water, flashlights, tents and tarps.

· Physical labor volunteers are meeting each day at 8 a.m. at Chattanooga Valley Baptist Church.

· FEMA will be setting up a central office at the agricultural building behind the Walker County Civic Center in Rock Spring and at the Catoosa County Learning Center.

· For updated volunteer information, visit the Walker County Chamber of Commerce Facebook Page.

· To list what you need and to share what you have available, visit www.helpringgold.com.

· Ringgold United Methodist Church, which is serving as a recovery site, needs volunteers for: team 1 – on site distribution of food and water; team 2 – care/assessment team; team 3 – manual labor/clean up team; and team 4 – church security team.

· The Walker County Chamber of Commerce, LaFayette First Baptist, and Oakwood Baptist Church are accepting donations at the Walker County Civic Center. They are asking for cleaning supplies, construction supplies, hammers, nails and roofing supplies.

· Volunteers can come to the Walker County Civic Center to receive relief request sheets to provide specific needs.

· Donations can be taken to the Ringgold Telephone Company and the Bank of LaFayette.

· Those who would like to help Ringgold athletics can send monetary donations to the Ringgold High School and Ringgold Middle School Athletic Fund, c/o Northwest Georgia Bank, at P.O. Box 789 Ringgold, Ga. 30736.

· Blood Assurance needs blood donations to replenish supplies. Blood Assurance has a location in Fort Oglethorpe.

· According to the Walker County Commissioner's office, individuals who would like to contribute to the relief effort can provide cash donations to the Walker County Commissioner’s Office in LaFayette.

· Dalton State College is taking donations for Ringgold tornado victims. Drop off boxes are placed in buildings around campus. Most needed items are are bottled water, food (including baby food), paper towels, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and personal care items. A Red Cross representative will be by campus on May 6 to pick items up.

· The Chattooga County library is taking donations to be transported to Dade, Catoosa, DeKalb (Ala.) and other affected areas. Open Friday until 5 and will be open Saturday also. All types of sundries and supplies needed, including food, bottled water, baby supplies, and gloves. No clothing donations will be accepted at this point. Donations will be accepted until May 6. For more information, call Diane Young at 706-978-0139, Vicky VanPelt at 706-857-7917 or the library at 706-857-2553.

· The Chattanooga Area Red Cross is taking volunteers and monetary donations. Donations can be sent to Greater Chattanooga Area American Red Cross Chapter, 801 McCallie Avenue, Chattanooga TN 37403

· Rep. Tom Graves’ District Offices, located in Gainesville and Dalton, are accepting the following donations from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday: clean folded tarps, C and D batteries , cases of bottled water, infant formula, infant and toddler diapers, boxes of spaghetti and jars of purchased red sauce and granola or cereal bars.

For victims

· Volunteers at the Metro Atlanta Red Cross Chapter are fielding calls from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. each day to help those affected by the tornadoes access the many Red Cross resources available to them, including shelter, food, emergency health and mental health services, help with family reunification, help with recovery planning, brochures and tips for clean-up, and referrals to other organizations that can help.

· You may be eligible for disaster unemployment benefits. The Northwest Georgia Department of Labor office is located at 96 Stuart Road in Fort Oglethorpe. Their phone number is 706-861-1990 or call 1-877-709-8185. If your claim is denied, call Georgia Legal Services Program for legal help at 800-498-9469. Farmworkers in any county can call Georgia Legal Services Program’s Migrant Project in Atlanta at 800-537-7496.

· To list what you need and to share what you have available, visit www.helpringgold.com.

· Camp Discovery will provide child care (K-5th grade) this week, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Camp Scott Patterson, located at 72 Old Mill Lane in Ringgold. Children are asked to bring a lunch, but if unable to do so lunch will be provided. Camp directors are Teresa Beene & David Camp. This is being done to assist parents with child care while school is out next week. Call 706-937-5323 or email ccbaptist@catt.com for more information or to register.

· If you suffered any damages or losses on farmland and to livestock, please contact the LaFayette Farm Service Agency office at 706-638-1558, extension 2.

· The U. S. Small Business Administration Office of Disaster Assistance has opened offices at the Shirley Smith Learning Center, located on the Catoosa Benton Place Campus. They will offer assistance to homeowners as well as business owners. The hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week until further notice. You may come to the Learning Center to apply or you can go disasterloan.sba.gov/ela and download the application. You may also call 1-800-659-2955.

· Catoosa County residents with questions or in need of assistance may call the helpline at 706-965-7138 or 706-965-7139 everyday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The temporary helpline will remain active for the duration of this week and may continue longer according to local needs.