Disaster Services
“The Most Horrific Thing”: PLEASE Help!
Jan 13th
The Salvation Army responded immediately to the earthquake in Port-au-Prince, capital of Haiti, which caused extensive damage to buildings and significant loss of life.
Donations to the ‘Latin America Disaster Fund’ can be made online by clicking on the button below:
Communication is proving difficult, with telephone lines down, but news received from The Salvation Army’s Caribbean Territory indicates that considerable damage was done to Army property in the city. The divisional headquarters, the divisional commander’s house and the children’s home were all badly damaged. The home of Emergency Coordinator Bob Poff was totally destroyed but Bob and his wife, Vivienne, are safe.
Of great concern in the hours after the earthquake was the fact that a number of children from the Salvation Army children’s home were unaccounted for. It was not initially clear whether they were in the home when the earthquake struck or they had not yet returned from school. Latest reports say that all but one of the home’s 52 children has now been found.
Interview with Salvation Army Disaster Services Director Bob Poff on the ground in Haiti:
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The Caribbean Territory has been assured of help from International Headquarters (IHQ). The Salvation Army World Services Organisation (SAWSO), based in the USA, reports that Major George Polarek is travelling to Haiti on Thursday (14 January) to coordinate the various logistics needed to get food air-lifted into Haiti. At least 285,000 meals are ready to be sent and SAWSO is working through various channels and high-level US Government contacts.
Four Salvation Army territories have already offered financial assistance but this is only the beginning. More offers of support will be gratefully received.
International Emergency Services personnel at IHQ are on standby, ready to take action as soon as there is a clearer picture of what level of support is needed.
As recently as November 2009 General Shaw Clifton and Commissioner Helen Clifton were in Haiti, visiting some of the places that are now badly damaged by the quake. The General calls the worldwide Salvation Army to prayer for the people of Haiti whose lives have been so tragically affected by the earthquake, and for the many people who will be seeking to offer help and support.
The Salvation Army Preparing to Respond to Gustav
Aug 28th
Preparedness for Gustav begins as Hurricane Katrina’s third anniversary approaches
Alexandria, Va. – Salvation Army personnel throughout the Gulf Coast are mobilizing to respond to Tropical Storm Gustav, expected to develop into a serious category three hurricane by early next week. Army units in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have 100 mobile feeding units and three fully-equipped 54-foot field kitchens ready for immediate response. Additionally, The Salvation Army is prepared to supplement Gulf Coast states with 70 canteens from inland states, as was necessary in response to Hurricane Katrina. In total, The Salvation Army is prepared to provide a minimum of 560,000 meals a day as necessary.
“The Salvation Army is prepared to respond immediately to the needs of survivors, emergency aid workers, and volunteers in communities affected by the storm’s landfall,” said Major Gene Hogg, Divisional Secretary for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. “The Army recognizes how difficult these circumstances can be and will do everything in our power to assist individuals and families following this storm as we do in these communities 365 days a year.”
In addition to feeding, The Salvation Army is prepared to provide:
- Clean-up kits containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies
- Hygiene kits
- Drinking water
- Shower units
- First-aid supplies
- Missing persons support through The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (www.satern.org)
and - Emotional/spiritual care
The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in Gustav’s path to prepare an Emergency supply kit, an evacuation plan and stay informed to all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three to five day supply of food and water for each individual of your family as well as flashlights, medication, and battery powered radio.
“It is imperative that residents of New Orleans and the central Gulf Coast region heed all warnings and orders associated with Tropical Storm Gustav, regardless of its path,” said Captain Ethan Frizzell, Area Commander for The Salvation Army in New Orleans. “It is important that each of us prepare now for Gustav.”
The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by Hurricane Gustav to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Monetary donations are needed to meet survivors’ most immediate needs. A $100 donation will feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies. The Salvation Army is currently not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims, please forward these donations to The Salvation Army Family Store nearest you.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 128 years in the United States.
Nearly 29 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children.
About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
