Tennessee strong: How you can pitch in to help tornado victims

Whatever anyone wants to say about Americans or America, there is no doubt we are the most generous people on earth.

A global survey of 1.3 million people in 128 countries completed the end of last year confirmed the U.S. ranked number one in terms of: helping a stranger or someone they didn’t know who needed help, donating money to charity, or volunteering their time to an organization. And it’s been that way for the last ten years.

And now Americans are coming together to help the victims of the devastating tornadoes which ripped through Tennessee in the early morning hours of March 3rd.

The National Weather Service confirmed there were actually two tornadoes with winds up to 175 miles per hour. An EF-4 tornado hit Putnam County, and an EF-3 tornado slammed Davidson and Wilson counties before dawn Tuesday.

Putnam County was virtually shredded by the storm. During a Tuesday evening news conference, officials said close to 150 buildings were destroyed in the county alone, where 18 (of the total 24) deaths have been reported.

CNN reports five children younger than 13 were among the Putnam County victims.

The 18 victims in the county range from a child between 2 and 3 years old to a 67-year-old woman.

Local non-profit organizations like the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee and the Putnam County Rescue Squad have jumped into action immediately to assist in the aftermath.

Putnam’s Rescue Squad is helping affected citizens with search and rescue efforts and immediate disaster relief for the families of the fallen. All members are volunteers and depend on donations to purchase equipment and supplies. The Rescue Squad has been serving its fellow citizens since 1952.

At Nine Line Apparel, we’re jumping in too. From our headquarters in Savannah, GA, the residents in Tennessee seem very close to home. From the start, we haven’t seen ourselves as just a clothing company, but a brand for the American people.

Our company name, Nine Line, is a term known throughout the military as a call for help. We honor the sacrifices made daily by the men and women in uniform — like the Putnam County Rescue Squad — and police, firefighters or warfighters. But in times like these, we strive to be a “nine line” for America.

We’ve created a special “Tennessee Strong” design for our apparel, and we’re donating 100% of the profits from our design to the Putnam County Rescue Squad and the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee to help those affected.

You can show your support for your fellow Americans hit by the tornadoes with our Tennessee Strong design and know you’ll be helping the relief effort. https://nine.li/TNStrong