How to help Smith Island in tornado recovery

Laura Benedict Sileo, Salisbury Daily Times
·3 min read
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Smith Island was hit with an EF1 tornado Aug 4, 2022.

A bed-and-breakfast lost its roof and third floor and a mobile home was destroyed in the Rhodes Point community. And it damaged 17 homes as the tornado made its way to the community of Ewell.

Doris Lee Bradshaw, 88, was hospitalized after being found in the rubble of her destroyed home.

Her son, Lindsey Bradshaw, told The Baltimore Sun of his relief Friday after she was taken to TidalHealth Peninsula Regional, the hospital in Salisbury.

STORMS: Doris Lee Bradshaw talks about life on Smith Island in 2016 interview

“This is bad; this is real bad. It looks terrible,” Lindsey Bradshaw said, while overlooking the debris that was once his mother's home. “But we could’ve been planning a funeral today.”

There were no fatalities.

The archipelago is located about 10 miles off the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Chesapeake Bay. It is uniquely isolated because it is accessible only by boat or helicopter. There are no bridges, no airport.

Its isolation makes it more difficult to get aid and supplies to the island, first charted by Capt. John Smith in 1608.

RELATED: 'The damage is devastating': Tornado strikes Smith Island, damaging more than dozen homes

MORE:Footage from Smith Islanders during the tornado

On Friday, Robert Joseph Jones of the Ewell Volunteer Fire Company posted to Facebook: "Our fuel dock is out of commission and we are currently unable to get fuel."

Damage to Smith Island structures from an EF1 tornado on Aug. 4, 2022.
Damage to Smith Island structures from an EF1 tornado on Aug. 4, 2022.

The Facebook page Smith Island United noted Saturday that "the major cleanups are on hold waiting for insurance adjusters to get here. We have plenty of water and food."

Power was knocked out by the storm, with A&N Electric Co-Op getting a generator running through the first night restoring power to many.

About 60 residences on the island continued to experience a power outage as a result of the storm damage on Saturday, the A&N Electric posted to Facebook. Those members’ power were expected to be restored by afternoon.

“Some of the power line damage is located out in the marsh, making its accessibility more difficult for our guys to make repairs,” said Joe Cataldo, A&N Electric Cooperative vice president of construction and operations. “While working to restore the power we’re taking the opportunity to shift those lines closer to the nearby road, which will make them easier to access and help any outage restorations in the future.”

How to help Smith Island

Maryland Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (Maryland VOAD) is the umbrella organization that helped the Somerset County Long Term Recovery Committee rebuild Crisfield after Hurricane Sandy. 100% of donations designated for Smith Island will be put to use rebuilding. Just put “Smith Island” in the memo line of your donation. https://www.marylandvoad.org/donate/

Jay Fleming, a photographer known for his images of the Chesapeake Bay, started a GoFundMe Page to raise money for recovery efforts. Other GoFundMe accounts have not been verified by Smith Island cleanup leaders.

Monetary donations can be sent to Smith Island United, which set up an account for disaster relief. Smith Island United/Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 40, Ewell, Md. 21824. https://bit.ly/3P213Mx

Want your organization included, email newshub@delmarvanow.com.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: How to help Smith Island in tornado recovery