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In addition to the outpouring of donations, more than 400 people have volunteered with The Salvation Army, helping with everything from distributions, administration, public relations, serving food and other items, and clearing rubble.
The Salvation Army in Mexico continues its work to help impacted residents regain hope and rebuild their lives following two major earthquakes and a hurricane that struck the country in a span of less than two weeks.
In early September, after receiving warnings about the damage likely to be caused by Hurricane Katia, The Salvation Army sent two canteens to Veracruz. However, before the hurricane could make landfall, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck off the south coast of Mexico on Sept. 7, causing extensive damage in Oaxaca state.
The Salvation Army has no permanent presence in the region but immediately sent its two remaining canteens there as well as an officer, Major Alberto Gonzales (regional emergency coordinator) to oversee the operation.
The Salvation Army decided to focus on a town called Juchitán and worked in close partnership with 32 other churches. For two weeks following the earthquake, The Salvation Army served 21,000 meals a day. The impacted people cooked the meals themselves, with ingredients provided by The Salvation Army.
Hurricane Katia made landfall in Veracruz on Sept. 8., inflicting less damage than expected. Nonetheless, The Salvation Army responded to support people in need and provided 200 meals a day for four days. It also distributed food parcels of non-perishable items to 120 families.
With the relief operation in Oaxaca still underway, the territory experienced a third disaster within a short period of time, when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck near Mexico City on Sept. 19, causing damage and loss of life throughout Mexico City and the states of Morelos and Puebla.
The Salvation Army’s territorial headquarters as well as some of its other centers opened immediately to offer support. In addition to the relief activities in the city center, The Salvation Army also began work in Pueblo, where it’s still providing 300 meals a day, and in four locations in Morelos, where it’s serving 1,500 a day.
The Salvation Army has received over 17 tons of donations, including non-perishable food items, drinking water, hygiene articles and cleaning products. One donor even gave generators and motorbikes, which have been particularly useful during power outages in remote areas.
In addition to the outpouring of donations, more than 400 people have volunteered with The Salvation Army, helping with everything from distributions, administration, public relations, serving food and other items, and clearing rubble.
The earthquakes have left many people homeless and thousands are now sleeping under tarps on the streets, many of them in front of what remains of their houses.
In some places the relief activities are slowly winding down, but in others they will continue for another couple of weeks. At this point, the focus is now shifting towards recovery.
