Helping Alabama

May 3, 2011 1:50 am CT

One-seventh. One-seventh of the city of Tuscaloosa was destroyed during the deadly tornado that ravaged the Alabama area last week. It’s hard to imagine. When you hear that at least 39 lives were lost and 450 are missing, it’s a statistic. When you know among the lost are members of the GM family, it becomes real.

Right now our team is traveling with 12 Silverado crew cab pickups that were donated by Chevrolet to Alabama United Ways, along with a GMC Savana full-size van to aid in the relief. A team of GM’ers loaded up trucks with batteries, flashlights, diapers, water— items that can really help our Alabamian neighbors during this difficult time. Unfortunately, the area is expecting rain tonight, so we are bulking up on tarps to help keep the displaced dry.

The General Motors Foundation is donating $100,000 to the American Red Cross to help disaster relief. Last week, GM’s OnStar opened Crisis Assist Services for subscribers in the area, including complimentary hands-free minutes and direction services. In total, the contribution from Chevrolet, the GM Foundation, and OnStar will exceed $500,000.

In tragic times the best in people tends to come out. For those interested in contributing, you can make a donation to the Red Cross here.

-Araba Dowell, Manager of Southeast Region Communications