Thousands Donated for Relief Efforts and Funeral Expenses in Alabama

Poarch Creek Indian Reservation. Alabama. The Poarch Band of Creek Indians announced that it is donating $100,000 to the Elmore County Disaster Relief Fund to assist residents in the City of Wetumpka and other parts of Elmore County who were directly affected by the January 19, 2019 tornado. This donation is part of the Tribe’s ongoing Planned Giving Campaign.

The tornado impacted an approximately eighteen (18) mile long tract from the city of Wetumpka

to the Lake Martin area of Elmore County, AL. The Elmore County Disaster Relief Fund,

originally formed after the historic tornadoes hit portions of the state in April of 2011, was reactivated to assist citizens affected by the January 19th tornado. The fund is conducted in

partnership with the Central Alabama Community Foundation (CACF) and is managed completely by Elmore County volunteers. These volunteers work tirelessly to ensure that all donations received are distributed to citizens who need help in rebuilding their lives.

In addition to the $100,000, the Tribe will be making a $184,000 donation to cover funeral costs, Lee County coroner Bill Harris confirmed to CNN. Other local organizations have come forward and donated toward the fund for the funerals, according to Harris. Additionally, an $10,000 anonymous donation was made for footmarkers for the graves, where residents are still reeling from an outbreak of tornadoes that killed 23 people this week in southeastern Alabama.

The Poarch Creek Indians are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once

covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. Unlike many eastern Indian tribes, the Poarch Creeks were not removed from their tribal lands and have lived together for almost 200 years in and around the reservation in Poarch, Alabama. The reservation is located eight miles northwest of Atmore, Alabama in rural Escambia County, and 57 miles east of Mobile.

The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is the only federally recognized Indian Tribe in the state of

Alabama, operating as a sovereign nation with its own system of government and bylaws. The

Tribe operates a variety of economic enterprises, which employ hundreds of area residents. The

Poarch Band of Creek Indians is an active partner in the state of Alabama, contributing to

economic, educational, social and cultural projects benefiting both Tribal Members and residents of these local communities and neighboring towns.