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Following are updates on The Salvation Army’s response to recent disasters
Flood relief
Salvation Army emergency disaster services vehicles are stationed at Fort Dodge, Iowa, in the Richland Center, Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove areas of Wisconsin, and areas affected by the flooding in Ohio. Additional canteens are on standby to assist as needed.
The Salvation Army has served more than 14,000 meals to emergency responders, residents, National Guard, volunteers and flood survivors. The Army has also provided more than 2,550 clean up kits and provides immediate financial assistance to residents in the six counties in Minnesota affected by the flood. The Army is bringing emotional and spiritual care to emergency responders, residents and others impacted by the flooding in each location and will remain on the scene as long as services are needed.
Peru earthquake
Salvation Army relief teams continue concentrating their efforts in the town of Pisco. They have set up tents are strategic points throughout Lima to collect public donations, and relief teams are distributing the resources to the affected areas. Salvation Army personnel are serving 3,000 people per day. They have distributed 4,000 blankets, 600 mattresses, 2,000 tons of water, 400 plastic buckets and 29,867 rations of food. Feeding and distribution centers have been established in Ica, Chincha and Pisco, Peru.
A team from Relief International will be joining The Salvation Army’s effort to provide medical assistance, and two experienced Salvation Army relief personnel from International Headquarters are en route to provide support and assistance to the local team, as well as to help the local relief personnel design plans to assist in the shelter reconstruction process.
Minnesota bridge collapse
The Salvation Army in the Twin Cities has raised nearly $40,000 to help people impacted by the I-35W bridge collapse. Target Corporation made the largest donation to the Army in the amount of $25,000. Mail and online donations raised an additional $7,000, and volunteer bell-ringers at the Uptown Art Fair raised $5,600. The funds will be used to assist victims’ families and bridge survivors with funeral expenses, medical bills and other unmet needs.
The Salvation Army continues to serve three meals a day to recovery workers at the bridge collapse site. Salvation Army officers and personnel are offering emotional and spiritual care to survivors and family members at the Family Assistance Center.
Hurricane Flossie (Hawaii)
The Salvation Army supplied food supplies to shelters at schools on the Big Island and worked with vendors to provide donated food items. In Honolulu, the emergency mobile vehicle (canteen) was on hand to provide meals and counseling to the hurricane survivors.
Tropical Depression Erin
A Salvation Army incident commander from Altus and an emotional and spiritual care officer from Norman were deployed to Kingfisher County. On Sunday, canteens from Enid, Lawton and Ponca City, Oklahoma, were deployed to Kingfisher County. On Sunday evening, approximately 200 meals were served. On Monday, The Salvation Army Oklahoma City canteen served approximately 50 meals in Guthrie.
Relief efforts concluded
For 13 days following the mine collapse in Utah, The Salvation Army’s emergency disaster services (EDS) from the Intermountain Division responded to the disaster. After being requested by the Emery County Sheriff, a kitchen trailer from Salt Lake City was deployed three days following the first cave-in. In collaboration with Southern Baptist Relief and the Red Cross, the Army increased their services from 100 meals a day to 600, serving miners, families, law enforcement, emergency workers, volunteers and media. Additionally, a team of Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) from the Eastern Territory provided spiritual and emotional care. The team had many opportunities to pray with and minister to the miners and their families.
The Salvation Army has concluded relief efforts following the wildfire that raged in Hawaii and Hurricane Dean in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, the government asked The Salvation Army to use various corps as registration sites for long-term recovery aid.