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South Florida Sending Help To Victims Of Tornado Aftermath

DORAL (CBSMiami) - South Floridians are jumping in to help out the victims of possibly the biggest tornado to hit the U.S. in decades.

"The way our founder Michael Capponi described it is a Cat 6 hurricane, that does not exist so that magnitude is ginormous," Global Empowerment Mission Operations Manger Daniel Merrovitch said.

The GEM facility in Doral is planning to send four truck trailers filled with supplies to Kentucky, and that's just the start.

"Twenty-four hours after the tornadoes hit we were already boots on the ground," Meerovitch said.

In some areas, rescue crews are still working to find those who are still missing, for others, they can't return home.

"Mostly we are sending bedding, we are sending mattresses, people are displaced now and have no place to sleep," he said.

GEM is also sending food and water.

In Miami, the Red Cross is working to ramp up aid.

"It looks like an absolutely terrible terrible situation where there are thousands of homes leveled to the ground and families who aren't going to be able to celebrate Christmas the way they are expecting," Red Cross Great Miami Executive Director Debbie Koch said.

Koch told CBS4 News, a handful of workers are either there, or making their way to affected areas, she will be making her way there by Tuesday.

"There are least, I heard, eight  Red Cross shelters open across the territory, we're expecting more families to find us as the word gets out," she added.

Nearly 200 people have stayed at the Red Cross shelters alone Sunday night, and that number is likely to increase.

"These natural disasters that really sneak up on you can be so devastating and I think what they're experiencing here, primarily in Kentucky but across all [six] states," Red Cross South Florida Communications Director Siara Campbell said.

Both GEM and the Red Cross mentioned monetary donations would be greatly welcomed to help with relief efforts.

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