Salvation Army Always Prepared
Thank you for visiting our Emergency Disaster Services Web site. As you can see by the news releases below, The Salvation Army responds to many different situations. When disaster strikes, we immediately deploy trained officers, staff and volunteers to the scene.
The Salvation Army also provides training for individuals and groups who are interested in disaster work. If you are interested in disaster work and would like to learn more, please click on the training tab for classes in your area. Whether you've considered field work or are interested in disaster preparedness for your own family, church or organization, sign up for our training.
Check back here often to stay informed on events that happen and what action The Salvation Army is taking. If you have any questions you'd like to ask, simply click on the Contact tab to find a Salvation Army representative in your area to contact.
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SALVATION ARMY ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR MYANMAR CYCLONE
The Salvation Army is accepting donations to help those affected by the devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar. The Salvation Army has had a presence in the country since 1915 and was able to immediately respond in the aftermath of the storm.
Members of The Salvation Army in Yangon have been providing cooked meals from their own store of food and clean water from artesian wells for locals who are desperately in need.
Americans can contribute to the relief effort through The Salvation Army in the United States online at http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/_ or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Indicate that you would like your donation to assist the survivors of the Myanmar cyclone.
The Salvation Army has also established a P.O. Box for direct mail donations:
The Salvation Army International Disaster Relief Fund
PO Box 630728
Baltimore, MD 21263-0728
Salvation Army provides relief after tornadoes in Kansas The Salvation Army continues to provide assistance to Kansas City area neighborhoods affected by tornadoes with wind speeds up to 135 mph early Friday morning. As of Sunday evening, the organization had provided meals to more than 2,200 people through its mobile canteens (feeding units). The canteens are out again today, providing food and beverages to cleanup workers, volunteers, law enforcement officers and residents. The Salvation Army is prepared to assist individuals and families who have been displaced from their homes and are in need of basic necessities including shelter, food, clothing, medicine and other basic necessities.
Salvation Army provides service after devastating storms in Oklahoma and Arkansas
In the deadly aftermath of storms in Arkansas and Oklahoma at the end of last week, The Salvation Army has been providing emergency disaster relief.
In Grant, Cleburne, and Van Buren counties in Arkansas, 128 homes were damaged and 50 destroyed. Many areas lost power. Salvation Army canteens (mobile kitchens) from Fayetteville and Fort Smith, set up feeding sites in Damascus. A canteen from Pine Bluff served south of Sheridan, while a canteen from El Dorado set up a feeding site between Woodson and Hensley beginning Saturday morning. The number of homes and structures damaged is still being assessed.
Captain Ernest Hull of Pine Buff, serving as incident commander for the area, is continuing to assess damage. Due to the number of storms that hammered Arkansas, reports are still coming in. As the need arises, additional support for feeding and other services will be deployed.
In Oklahoma tornadoes touched down in rural areas causing minor damage to structures, while golf ball size hail caused major damage in other areas. Some hail storms lasted up to 10 minutes.
Major John Birks, director of disaster services, and Alton Gardner, disaster services coordinator, for The Salvation Army in Oklahoma and Arkansas have been in touch with personnel across the state to assess what services are needed where.
THE SALVATION ARMY SERVES STORM SURVIORS IN SOUTHERN STATES
In the aftermath of last week's severe storms, some of which included tornadoes and flooding, in Arkansas, Mississippi, Texas and Oklahoma, Salvation Army emergency disaster services personnel provided meals, snacks, shelter, clean-up kits, social services and emotional and spiritual care to thousands of survivors and emergency responders.
Mobile feeding units (canteens) fed an average 1,600 meals daily in Jackson, Miss., as residents recovered from storm damage. Canteens also responded after severe storms in the
Dallas-Fort Worth region and a tornado in Breckenridge, Texas. Plano and Waxahachie, Texas, also benefited from canteen feeding stations.
In Little Rock, Ark., canteens continued to serve hot meals and snacks to residents working on their homes and emergency responders trying to restore power to areas heavily affected by a tornado that sliced through Saline and Pulaski counties on April 3.
In Pine Bluff, Ark., Salvation Army emergency responders continue to watch rising waters and are on standby due to flooding throughout the area.
SALVATION ARMY BRINGS COMFORT FOLLOWING HORRIFIC SHOOTING AT NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
The Salvation Army immediately responded yesterday after a gunman entered a lecture hall on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb, Ill., and opened fire killing six people and injuring at least 15 others before turning the gun on himself. Salvation Army emergency disaster services personnel worked with university police to provide support and emotional and spiritual care to law enforcement officials and students.
Meals, beverages and refreshments have been served from a Salvation Army canteen that was deployed to the scene. In addition, Salvation Army officers (pastors) trained in critical incident stress management were on the scene to provide comfort to law enforcement officials and students devastated by the tragedy.
Captains Alex and Aimee Norton, who oversee The Salvation Army's work in DeKalb, Ill., have a vital ministry on the NIU campus and were a comfort to many students dealing with the horrors that occurred on their campus. A prayer service was held last night at The Salvation Army's DeKalb Corps and Community Center (center for worship and service) and prayer rooms were made available to students throughout the night.
SALVATION ARMY PROVIDES EMERGENCY FOOD AID IN ZIMBABWE
The Salvation Army is bringing aid to residents in the low-lying Zambezi valley in Zimbabwe after relentless rains and flooding have killed 27 people and left thousands homeless.
Salvation Army emergency disaster response teams are providing food aid to 150 flood-affected families for the next three months. The families lost everything and had to be relocated to the Agricultural Rural Development Authority Farm to avoid the predicted second wave of flooding. In addition to meeting physical needs, The Salvation Army is providing pastoral care and support to people who've had their lives turned upside down.
"I don't want to go back to my old village. I want to prepare a better future for my children and grandchildren without the threat of floods," said Ribetia Mutoro, a flood-affected resident from Mvundura Village. "All my food and crops were washed away so I have no chance of harvesting anything and nothing to go back to. I would just face the same problems and dangers all over again."
With forecasters predicting additional heavy rains this threat of continued flooding has put an added strain on the communities within the flood zone along with a renewed pressure on the country's ailing economy and food supplies.
"This food aid response is vital in ensuring that life is sustained during this devastating emergency. We are essentially buying time for this community to restart planting crops so that in three months' time they can begin to harvest what they have grown and once again become self-sufficient," said Major Cedric Hills, international emergency services coordinator.
Monetary donations may be sent your local Salvation Army earmarked "Disaster Relief," made online at http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/ or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY