Many of you TREG Insiders know Eric Blackwell, our dynamic SEO consultant who works very hard on TREG’s behalf to make sure we are on the leading edge of all things technology, social media, and SEO. Many of you have taken webinars with Eric and know his voice well, and for many of us, he is more than a business partner—he is a friend.

While Eric works with TREG, he actually lives in the Midwest, just north of Louisville, Kentucky. As you probably saw on the news, Eric’s community of southern Indiana was hit very hard by multiple tornadoes that touched down this past Friday. While Eric and his family are safe, a monster EF-4 tornado narrowly missed his parents’ house and devastated many of their neighbors’ homes, schools, and businesses. Eric spent his entire weekend helping kick-start the cleanup, working to clear away debris and give tornado victims much-needed assistance. The Red Cross was also on the scene, showing up mere minutes after the storms passed and immediately reaching out to victims with crucial assistance in the form of food, water, shelter, clothing, counseling, and more.

Courtesy Eric Blackwell

As you can see from the pictures Eric took this weekend and was kind enough to share with us, the destruction is massive. Those piles of siding, wood, and metal were once someone’s home and haven. Those of us in real estate understand to our core how painful the loss of a home can be; the juxtaposition of being grateful for still being alive and yet mourning the loss of something you’ve worked most of your life to achieve is at once both wrenching and confusing. This is where the work of the Red Cross is so crucial: supporting victims after the initial shock and need is over with long-term housing placement, the essentials needed to function, and counseling on how to deal with loss and starting the healing process.

Courtesy Eric Blackwell

We’re asking everyone to give whatever you can to the Red Cross to help. Last week’s tornado outbreak across the country was unprecedented, with an estimated 74 tornadoes spawned and tens of thousands of lives impacted. Consequently, Red Cross resources are stretched to the limit trying to address the needs of so many hard-hit communities all across the central U.S. Please give to Eric’s community and all of those around the country who need our help right now. To help, you can visit the Red Cross online donation page, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. You may also donate by mailing a check to American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.

When talking with Eric about the disaster, he told us that while it was horrible for so many people, it was great to see the communities in southern Indiana come together to support those who had suffered so great a loss. We’re hoping that all TREG agents will reach out and demonstrate that Eric’s community extends far beyond Indiana and that we here in Hampton Roads will come together to be there for those in need.