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Released 29 October 2012
Salvation Army Begins Service Deployment Ahead of Hurricane Sandy
Landfall
Mobile Feeding Units Serving at Shelters;
Prepared to Serve Thousands of Meals in Wake of Historic Storm
Alexandria, Virginia (October 29, 2012) – As Hurricane Sandy moves on-shore Monday and into
Tuesday, The Salvation Army is already beginning feeding operations at shelters
along the East Coast. Additionally, dozens of mobile feeding units, able to serve
thousands of meals, are stocked and ready to deploy into the most heavily
impacted areas once it is safe to do so in coordination with emergency
management officials. Crews will provide food, hydration, clean-up kits as well
as emotional and spiritual care.
“The
Salvation Army is mobilized and ready to serve,” said Major George Hood,
National Community Relations Secretary for The Salvation Army in the United
States. “Our mobile feeding units and staff are strategically positioned and
already beginning to serve at shelter locations throughout the East Coast.”
Specific
Salvation Army activities include:
· In New Jersey, The Salvation Army is serving meals, snacks and drinks at 11
shelters in five counties. A full fleet of
emergency response vehicles is ready to deploy if needed. This includes 10 fully-stocked mobile feeding units
(canteens), two service vehicles, and one mobile command unit. A canteen is
embedded with Task Force 1, the
State's official search and rescue team, at Lakehurst Naval Base and may travel
with them as they are deployed throughout the state.
· In New York, The Salvation Army is
coordinating with the local American Red Cross to provide volunteer support for shelters throughout Suffolk County. Eight canteens are equipped and ready to be
deployed from the northern and western parts of the state.
· In Philadelphia, PA, The Salvation Army is
working closely with the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management to ready three shelters within the city to help ensure those impacted by Hurricane Sandy will have access to essential
services and safety.
· In North Carolina, Salvation Army
volunteers worked for 34 hours feeding residents at a shelter in Morehead City. The Salvation Army in New Bern
also served evacuees at a local shelter. Eight
volunteers and two officers prepared 120 meals.
· In Virginia, The Salvation Army in Hampton
Roads has been providing shelter since Saturday evening. A shelter in downtown Norfolk has served 350 meals and distributed 70 hygiene kits so far.
· In Maryland, The
Salvation Army of Salisbury served lunch
to more than 200 persons at a shelter on Sunday. The Army is also in
assisting with sheltering and feeding activities in Annapolis and other parts
of the state.
· The
Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay
informed of and heed all warnings and
evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a
three-to-five day supply of food and water for each member of your family as
well as flashlights, medication and battery powered radios.
The Salvation
Army maintains a fleet of disaster vehicles and supply warehouses across the
United States to enable speedy mobilization. There are more than 300 emergency
response vehicles in the eastern and southern United States alone and nearly
600 units nationwide.
In addition
to food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care, The Salvation Army is
also prepared to provide:
• Clean-up kits
containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies
• Hygiene kits
• Shower units
• First-aid
supplies
• Communications
support
The Salvation
Army also provides a ministry of presence provides compassionate care to
residents looking for hope in the midst of turmoil. Pastoral care is available
for all those impacted, but is not a prerequisite for receiving assistance. The
Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in the storm’s path to stay
informed of and heed all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response
professionals recommend having a three to five day supply of food and water for
each member of your family as well as flashlights, medication and battery powered
radios.
The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those
affected by this disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). Donors may
also contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word STORM to
80888, and confirming the donation with the word, “Yes.” * At this point,
in-kind donations, such as used clothing and used furniture, are not being
accepted for hurricane relief. However, these items are vital to supporting the
day-to-day work of your local Salvation Army. Please consider giving these
items to your local Salvation Army Family Store or dial 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).
For more information on The
Salvation Army’s preparation and response to Tropical Storm Isaac, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
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