NATIONAL DISASTERS

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Salvation Army Transitions to Long-Term Texas Recovery Efforts

October 15, 2008 - After serving more than 1.7 million meals and 2.6 million snacks, The Salvation Army continues its transition into long-term recovery efforts in coastal Texas after it was severely hit by Hurricane Ike last month. Assistance remains focused in the devastated Galveston Island region; however, services are still being provided in the Pasadena and Beaumont areas.

Eighteen Salvation Army mobile feeding units (canteens) continue to serve meals in the Galveston area. The distribution of food boxes and clean-up kits continues in the coastal region, as well as emotional and spiritual care provided by trained Salvation Army emergency disaster services personnel and Salvation Army officers (pastors), assisted by reinforcement officers from The Salvation Army in Mexico.

As long-term recovery efforts are phased in, such emotional and spiritual care will become more of a necessity for Ike survivors. Starting Monday, Oct. 13, assistance through gift cards will be available to residents of all areas affected by Ike.

Local Salvation Army Volunteers Head to Texas for Disaster Relief

October 3, 2008 - Five local volunteers will be leaving Monday morning to serve survivors in Texas after hurricane Ike and Gustav. They will serve through October 19.

The following volunteers will be leaving at 2 p.m. on Monday October 6. They will meet at 2445 Prior AVE N, Roseville, MN at noon for a lunch meeting before leaving for the airport.

Susan Schwingerhammer - Dassel, MN
Leann King -Cokato, MN
Frank Powers - Crystal, MN
Darla Bohn - Andover, MN
Marie Putnam - Blaine, MN
Robert Nelson - Blaine, MN

The Salvation Army is continuing emergency disaster relief services in Texas’ Golden Triangle and is focusing relief efforts in hurricane-affected remote regions. Many areas outside the larger city limits have been completely devastated and are still without power and basic services. On Sunday alone, Salvation Army volunteers served 3,251 meals, 6,337 snacks and 4,586 drinks as well as providing emotional and spiritual care to 356 people.

“The severity of the devastation in the remote regions of the area is horrendous,” said Captain Chad Williams, incident commander. “People have lost everything and are in dire need of assistance. The Salvation Army will continue to be there helping residents recover by meeting their needs both physically and spiritually.” Salvation Army mobile feeding units (canteens) continue to provide food, water and ice water to remote areas, including High Island, Sabine Pass, West Orange and Bridge City.

Photos: Hurricane Relief Efforts

WAYS TO DONATE:

Credit Card By Phone
Credit card donations can be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

Credit Card Online
Click the button below to make a credit card donation online.

By Check
Monetary donations earmarked “Disaster Relief” may be sent to The Salvation Army at 2445 Prior Ave., Roseville, MN 55113 or your local Salvation Army.

Hurricane Gustav

September 9, 2008 - The Salvation Army has continued to serve in the Greater Baton Rouge Area, Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. Since service began on August 31, 2008 over 281,000 meals have been served by The Salvation Army in Louisiana and Mississippi to assist the recovery from Hurricane Gustav.

Additionally, The Salvation Army's Emotional and Spiritual care teams have been praying with thousands of residents offering physical nourishment and spiritual sustenance to residents recovering form Hurricane Gustav. Each canteen location has trained Emotional and Spiritual Care counselors available at the request of residents of south Louisiana.

"Each meal and each drink are much more than physical sustenance for weary bodies. Each meal is prepared in compassion and covered in prayer for our neighbors in Louisiana that hope is here and recovery is happening," said Operations Chief Captain Don New of Greenville Mississippi.

"We hope to be a calming presence to the residents of south Louisiana," he added.

The Salvation Army currently has 32 mobile feeding units serving meals in Baton Rouge. Terrebonne Parish, and Lafourche Parish.

-Photos of Salvation Army Hurricane Relief Efforts

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Midwest Flooding
The Salvation Army of Minnesota and North Dakota is gearing up for long-term disaster relief in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where retreating flood waters have revealed a population 124,000 city steeped in sewage and destruction. For more information or ways to help, visit the Corridor Recovery website.

Photos:
-Cedar Rapids Flood Relief

Press Releases:
-Salvation Army Prepares for Next Phase of Cedar Rapids Flood Response
-Salvation Army, Little Ceasar's Host Pizza Parties in Flood-Weary Cedar Rapids
-Help from Minnesotans Badly Needed for Iowa Flood Relief
-The Salvation Army of MN, ND Descends on Cedar Rapids
-Relief Teams from Mankato, Albert Lea Deployed for Iowa Flooding
-Salvation Army Brings Aid in Response to Iowa Flooding
-Mason City Receives Aid from Twin Cities Salvation Army
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Hurricane Katrina Rebuilding Efforts

Latest Press Release: Salvation Army Partners with Habitat for Humanity to Rebuild Nearly 600 Homes in the Gulf Coast

The 2005 hurricane season, encompassing tropical cyclones Katrina, Rita, and Wilma, spurred The Salvation Army’s largest natural disaster response effort in the United States in its 126 year history. More than $400 million was donated to the Army to assist in the effort.

Following an initial response phase in which more than 1.7 million people were served, The Salvation Army continues to be active in recovery two years after the storms hit. The Army has not set an end date for its dedicated disaster services which provide for basic needs such as, food, clothing, housing and jobs.

Response Phase
During the response phase of the Katrina disaster operation, The Salvation Army focused on meeting immediate essential human needs of rescue workers and disaster survivors. Monies were used to support services such as the provision of food, clothing and shelter, distribution of in-kind goods and medical supplies, and emotional and spiritual care.

During the response phase of the disaster operation:
-1.7 million people were provided assistance
-5.7 million hot meals were served
-8.3 million sandwiches, snacks and drinks were provided
-178 Canteens and 11 Field Kitchens were dispatched in the many areas affected -282,000 social service cases were registered
-More than 188,000 individuals received emotional and spiritual care
-Salvation Army disaster workers on the Gulf Coast logged more than 830,000 hours of service
-More than $84 million expended in the first three months of operations

The Salvation Army has provided case management and direct financial aid to storm victims in nearly every state in the USA ; principal focus areas included the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and major metropolitan areas such as Atlanta, Chicago and New York.

The Salvation Army considers the emergency response phase of the operation to be complete and is now focused on supporting long-term recovery.

During the recovery phase of the Katrina operation, which started in January 2006 and continues through the present, The Salvation Army is focusing on case management, reconstruction and support of volunteer rebuild teams. The Army has outlined a long-term plan for Louisiana and Mississippi, and is participating in the Katrina Aid Today program.

Long-term Recovery Plan For Louisiana and Mississippi
As part of The Salvation Army's long-term recovery effort, the Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi (ALM) Division, which serves both the Miss. and La. Gulf Coast, implemented a six-point Community Recovery Program. The Community Recovery Program (CRP) is a $150 million disaster relief initiative that provides assistance to survivors of both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Mississippi and Louisiana.

The six projects that encompass the Community Recovery Program are:

Project 1 - Distribution Center Support and Operation: The purpose of this project is to provide continued financial support for Salvation Army Disaster Recovery Centers that are providing distribution of immediate needs items as a part of their case work. This continues to be done on an as-needed basis in New Orleans and on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Project 2 - Volunteer Village Support and Operation: The Salvation Army is financially and logistically supporting two Volunteer Villages in its own facilities - one in New Orleans, La., and one in Biloxi, Miss. In addition, The Salvation Army has also provided financial and logistical support to other Volunteer Villages being operated by other nonprofit, disaster relief agencies.

Project 3 - Community Capacity Fund: The Community Capacity Fund provides funding to small, lesser funded local organizations with good recovery program ideas.

Project 4 - Home Repair and Reconstruction Support: The Salvation Army is logistically and financially partnering with a large number of nonprofit agencies that specialize in repair or reconstruction of homes that have been affected by disasters.

Project 5 - Habitat For Humanity Home Reconstruction Support: The Salvation Army has set aside a significant fund to support Habitat For Humanity in its efforts to replace homes that were totally destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Project 6 - Job Skills Training / Re-Training Support: The Salvation Army has partnered with a consortium of universities that are providing job skills training and re-training for disaster victims whose jobs no longer exist due to the storm or whose current skills are no longer needed.

The basic thrust of the Community Recovery Program is to provide casework, logistical and financial support to other community nonprofit partners in cooperation with the local Long-Term Recovery or Unmet Needs Committees that are involved in efforts to repair or reconstruct client homes in those areas most affected by the storms. Through May 31, 2007, among other efforts, the CRP has:

Opened a total of 227,500 cases for those in need
Assisted 1.4 million people
Provided funds for home repair or reconstruction, up to $10,000 per family, in coordination with other rebuild organizations

In addition, the Community Recovery Program has also made it possible to financially support larger projects that broadly benefit the community as a whole. For instance:

$1.8 million was granted to Operation Blessing International to purchase medicine in support of their free medical clinic in Slidell, La.
Another $1 million has been granted to a partnership of agencies for the "100 Homes in 100 Days" program in Pascagoula, Miss.

Overall, about 46 percent of the total $150 million allocated to the Community Recovery Program has been spent so far.