Alabama tornadoes: Donors pledge to pay for 23 funerals after devastating storm

LEE COUNTY, Ala. — After a devastating tornado killed nearly two dozen in Lee County, Alabama, this weekend, the families who lost loved ones are getting a little relief: All 23 funerals will be paid for.

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The Poarch Band of Creek Indians of Poarch, Alabama, has donated $184,000 to cover the costs, WTVM reports.

The organization wrote on Facebook that “It is at times of greatest need that we often see our communities coming together to help one another.”

The Lee County Coroner office intially told WTVM that two unnamed organizations were stepping forward to pay.

Harris said he “got a phone call from an individual that said, if the details get worked out, there’s a very large corporation that will probably pay most if not all of the cost of every victim’s funeral.”

RELATED: What we know about the 23 lives lost in the Alabama tornado

Harris continued that, right before Tuesday’s interview, “I got another call from another company that will do the same thing. So, between the two, these expenses, which can be up into the thousands, will probably be covered by these two companies.”

The Lee County sheriff’s office called the news a “wonderful blessing.”

During a Wednesday press conference, Harris said that The Poarch Band of Creek Indians had also committed $50,000, though that number later went up.

Sunday’s storm was the deadliest tornado in the U.S. in nearly six years. Among the dead are four children, as well as 10 members of the same family.

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