The Next Phase The Salvation Army is currently transitioning to a new phase of its disaster response and recovery work in Linn County. The Salvation Army is part of a long-term recovery coalition that is currently putting together a plan to address the next phase of need here in the Linn County community. It is anticipated that this next phase will include in-depth needs assessment, long-term case management and direct financial assistance to flood affected households. Details will be communicated as soon as they are available. The Cedar Rapids Salvation Army is also working to rebuild its own facility at 1000 C Avenue NW. The Salvation Army itself is a flood victim. Clean-up, rebuild and replacements costs are estimated at nearly $500,000 – with many factors and figures not yet known. The Army essentially lost its entire lower level in the flood. This space is home to its youth programs including summer day camp and after school activities. Day camp was able to relocate for the summer, but the status of the after school program is still unknown. The lower level space is also utilized for church and senior programming. Outside of its own facility loss, Salvation Army officials project that the Linn County response will easily be a multi-million dollar undertaking – and a multi-year endeavor. Mindy Kayser, Director of Development & Communications for the Cedar Rapids corps said, “This community has experienced wide spread devastation. We want people to know that we are committed to being a partner in the long-term recovery process.” We are going into this next phase with the confidence that we are headed in the right direction. We have the benefit of over 100 years of experience behind us and a wealth of expertise at our side. The Salvation Army has been involved in disaster response and recovery efforts around the world for over 100 years. We also live and work in a terrific community that understands what it means to be a community. Cedar Rapids is going to be a success story.
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