TROY, Ala. (TROJANVISION) — As several areas work to recover from the tornado that tore Pike County, one resident is lending a helping hand.

After an EF2 tornado left areas of Banks, Troy, and Ebenezer blown apart, Autumn Parrish felt a call to action. Parrish and a team of friends wasted no time gathering supplies for those in need. Armed with tarps, flashlights, medicine, non-perishable food items, and clothes, Parish and their crew headed into the heart of the wreckage.

“I saw absolute destruction,” Parrish said. “The unfortunate reality is that the tornado decided to hit mobile homes and trees. The tornado lifted up mobile homes and slammed them back onto the ground. I saw where the house had landed and there was really nothing left except a single cinder block.”

MORE: See National Weather Service’s survey of March 15 Tornado Outbreak

Parrish is no stranger to tornadoes.

“I’ve been impacted by a tornado,” Parrish said. “Plantersville, where I graduated from, also had a tornado rip through it. The tornado pretty much leveled Plantersville, which was not easy to hear about.”

Parrish’s message is to take tornadoes seriously and stay alert.

“Make sure that if you are in a building without a basement, make sure you are in the interior room on the lowest floor of that building,” Parrish said. Keep a weather radio, because it will wake you up. You will not sleep through it. They’re relatively user friendly to program. Please stay away from windows. Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.”

Parrish is hopeful that the supplies and money donated will go a long way in restoring normalcy for those who were affected.

MARCH 15 TORNADO: Residents describe moment when EF2 tornado passed over their homes

Acceptable donations include hygiene products, water, socks, blankets, children’s toys, pet supplies, first aid kits, etc.

If you want to support Parrish’s efforts, you can do so via their GoFundMe. The link can be found on Parrish’s Facebook. You can also drop off donations at the Troy Resilience Project at 401 S Brundidge St, Troy, AL 36081.