Shelters

Four shelters have been opened by the American Red Cross to help Kentuckians who were displaced Friday by violent storms.

The shelters are at Elliott County High School in Sandy Hook, Lawrence County High School in Louisa, Grant County High School in Dry Ridge and the Laurel Fire Department in London, according to the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management.

Shelters also were set up at First Baptist Church in East Bernstadt, the Magoffin County Health Department in Salyersville, Menifee County High School in Frenchburg and Morgan County High School in West Liberty, according to a news release from Sen. Rand Paul’s office.

Finding the missing

The Red Cross has a Web site designed to help make communication easier for people after a disaster, said Joe Baird, a Red Cross volunteer at the state’s Joint Information Center. Go to Safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php.

If you want relatives to know you are safe and well, click on the “List Myself as Safe and Well” button to register yourself on the site.

Concerned family and friends can search the list of those who have registered themselves as safe and well by clicking on the “search registrants” button. The results of a successful search will display a person’s first and last name.

To report someone missing, go to the Kentucky Emergency Management Web site at KYEM.ky.gov/missingperson/Pages/default.aspx.

Donations

Donations for Kentucky tornado victims are being collected by the Christian Appalachian Project and the Community Inn. People can drop off trash bags, bottled water and any other kind of drinks, flashlights and batteries, non-perishable food items and toilet paper, paper towels and paper plates at a truck stationed at the Hamburg Wal-Mart on Grey Lag Way. Donations will be accepted from 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday and from noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

The Salvation Army is collecting donations of goods and money to help in the relief effort.

Maj. Debra Ashcraft said all kinds of cleaning supplies, such as mops, brooms, buckets and cleaning fluids, are needed, as well as disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer, peanut butter and bottled water in individual servings and gallon jugs. She said items can be dropped off anytime, day or night, at the Salvation Army’s Hanger Lodge at 736 West Main Street in Lexington.

Monetary donations may be mailed to the Salvation Army, 736 W. Main St., Lexington, Ky. 40508. Donors can write “Tornado Relief” in the memo line of their checks, and if they wish, they can designate which county they want to help, Ashcraft said.

Pets

In East Bernstadt, the non-profit Fur Ever Friends was coordinating an effort to locate and care for pets lost after the storm. ­Donations of dog food, newspapers and dog crates can be dropped off at the East Bernstadt Fire Department.