One of the worst tornadoes in eight years destroyed the southwestern Kansas town of Greensburg on the evening of Friday, May 4. The category EF5 twister flattened the homes of Greensburg's 1,600 residents, killed 12 people and injured 50 more.

UUSC is responding to this tragedy. We are communicating with local organizations in Kansas to understand how emergency aid and relief is reaching particularly vulnerable populations, including migrant workers and lower-income families.

UUSC's Rights in Humanitarian Crises program continues to work with local partners in areas across the world that have been affected by natural disasters (including Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and the South Asia earthquake). From our experience, we know that different people are affected differently by the humanitarian aid that follows such tragedy. We will ensure that any donations we receive for the UUSC Kansas Tornado Relief Fund are channeled to organizations on the ground in Kansas that are positioned to respond with a concern for human rights and social justice.