Rand Paul donating $100,000 to tornado relief effort

Senator Rand Paul recently announced a $100,000 donation to various charities across the region to help with storm relief efforts.

Paul told West Kentucky Star the donation would be split among six charities: The Mayfield-Graves County Tornado Relief Fund, Relevant Church in Paducah, Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief, Redemption City Church, HOTEL, INC, and The United Way of Southern Kentucky.

Paul said he did believe there was a role for government in disasters but said there was also a role for private charity. 

In addition to his donation, his team also contacted Lowe's about getting chainsaws donated to the relief effort. He said Lowe's not only donated chainsaws, but they also took it one step further and donated $1,000,000.

"We're an incredibly generous nation, so I think it is important that everybody try to help out with food, with lodging. You would be surprised. There are thousands of people across Kentucky that have taken in Friends, relatives, neighbors. People are volunteering to get others a hotel room," Paul said.

Paul said it was amazing seeing everyone coming together to help out. In Bowling Green, he said the Ohio Church of Nazarene was seen lending a hand in clean-up efforts. In addition, he said 38 states had sent linesmen to help get electricity up and running again.

"It's pretty amazing everybody coming together. The National Guard, some of this is a function of government, but many of these people are just volunteers. Our friends told us an Alcoholics Anonymous group had come out and wanted to do something. They were working in a neighborhood cleaning up," Paul said.

Paul spoke about the storm's impact on his hometown of Bowling Green. He said the night of the storm, 150 police cars had flat tires because they were driving through the debris trying to help people.

"You don't think of this as you're driving around trying to rescue people that so many nails were blown into the street from the roofs that a big problem was changing the tires." He continued, "There was a crew going around all night rescuing the police officers, changing their tires, and getting a new tire on so they can get them to the next emergency."

Paul addressed people that have called him a hypocrite for supporting federal disaster relief in Kentucky, saying it's just not true.

"When I was first elected in 2010, one of the first things I did was advocate for disaster relief for Kentucky." Paul said, "All I've ever said is that whenever we have to add to disaster relief, it should be paid for by taking the money from some other wasteful part of the government. I've never said we shouldn't be involved in disaster relief."

Paul said that his office had sent dozens of letters to the president requesting disaster relief over the years, and the most recent time isn't extraordinary.

"People want to make some sort of political statement. We haven't even buried our dead in Kentucky, and the left now wants to make all of this about politics. It's kind of sad because really this is a time of sadness and grieving and also a time of urgency and trying to help people," Paul said. 

Paul plans to visit Mayfield, Princeton, and Dawson Springs on Friday to survey storm damage.