Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) responders are on their way to Arkansas, where strong winds, large hail and numerous tornadoes wreaked havoc on small towns near Little Rock over the weekend.

At least 18 people have been reported killed in the storms that raced across Oklahoma, Iowa, Kansas and Arkansas.

Mayflower and Vilonia, two towns just northwest of Little Rock, sustained the most damage from the storms.

PDA has been in contact with mid councils in the affected areas, and One Great Hour of Sharing funds and funds designated for disaster response in the United States have been made available for immediate disbursement.

PDA National Response Team (NRT) members are en route to Arkansas at the request of Arkansas Presbytery to offer support in assessing the damage and developing a response to these storms. 

PDA has no report of Presbyterian churches affected and will support the ecumenical, interfaith, and community disaster response efforts as well as the response by mid-councils.