PRESS RELEASE: The Salvation Army Goes into Galveston with Strike Team, Feeds Thousands

Devastation Surprises Volunteers, Staff

Galveston, Texas (September 14, 2008) – You can’t tell where the water ends. Miles and miles of Gulf water has come into neighborhoods. Boats are scattered like tinker toys along I-45, the only thoroughfare that connects Houston to Galveston. Hurricane debris is strewn along the highways, giving the impression of sand dunes.

“The devastation is heart-wrenching,” said Captain Brett Meredith, The Salvation Army officer assigned to Texas Military Forces (Strike Team).

Captain Meredith along with two Salvation Army canteens (mobile kitchens) drove into Galveston with Texas Military Forces Saturday afternoon. The canteens were stationed at the state command center and Ball High School and fed more than 1,200 first responders and evacuees Saturday evening. In Galveston, The Salvation Army is expected to feed more than 3,000 people on Sunday.

Additional Salvation Army resources are being deployed Sunday morning to Houston and Galveston. The Salvation Army is expecting a fleet of more than 70 canteens, field kitchens and other disaster equipment to come into Texas within the next few days.

A staging area set up at Port San Antonio, the former Kelly Air Force Base, will be moved to the Houston area on Sunday (Sept 14). Juan Gomez, a disaster employee from McAllen, Tex., said he was surprised by all the devastation in Galveston.

Gomez was deployed to Peru last year for the Lima earthquake and said Hurricane Ike did comparable damage. “The buildings here are just torn apart – from the rooftops to the hinges on the door,” he said. “It’s so sad. People had warning, but it didn’t matter. Their preparation wasn’t enough.”

In the short-term aftermath of the storm, Salvation Army officers and staff will focus primarily on the immediate needs of disaster survivors and first-responders, providing food, hydration, shelter, and comfort for impacted individuals and families.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by the recent tropical cyclones 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 and will provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit (containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies). The Salvation Army currently is not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims; however, please continue supporting your local Salvation Army thrift store and the much needed programs your in-kind gifts support.

PRESS RELEASE: Salvation Army Serves Overnight in Galveston, Deploys to Houston, Beaumont and Luftkin

Initial ‘Strike Team’ Surprised By Extent of Devastation

Alexandria, Va. (September 14, 2008) – Today, more than 100 Salvation Army mobile feeding units responded to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Ike in Texas. Several convoys of canteens and mobile kitchens moved into the disaster zone to begin serving the millions of people who are without power in the areas around Beaumont, Galveston, Houston and Lufkin. They join a contingent of Salvation Army relief workers who served overnight in some of the most devastated areas. Since the storm began, The Salvation Army has served nearly 52.000 meals to evacuees, emergency workers and those affected by the storm.

“Our ‘strike team’ members were awed by the power of this storm and the extent of the devastation,” said Major Marshall Gesner, Greater Houston Area Commander for The Salvation Army. “Communications on the ground are difficult, there is no power, and the water system is compromised in many places. What this all means for us is a lot of hungry, thirsty people who are going to need relief for an extended period of time. We are calling on the public to help us mount a long-term response that could last several weeks or months.”

On Sunday, a convoy of six canteens, plus a 48-foot kitchen and a satellite communications trailer, left a staging area in San Antonio to set up a command post at The Salvation Army Corps in Pasadena, Tex., outside Houston. At the same time, approximately 20 response vehicles moved from Tyler into Lufkin and other points of East Texas, and many will continue into Pasadena, Galveston and Texas City. Six canteens were still moving into the area from Florida, heading to a command post being set up in Beaumont. Dozens of canteens will continue feeding at sheltering locations throughout Texas that have been serving evacuees since the operation began. The canteens will be re-deployed to the stricken region once the shelters no longer need them. Three canteens are in Cameron Parish, La., to assist residents who are now affected by a second hurricane in less than two weeks. Other vehicles from out of state will continue to be mobilized during then next several days.

The Salvation Army began staging its overall disaster response effort in San Antonio and Tyler earlier this week. For Hurricane Ike, the Army is undertaking its biggest operation of the 2008 hurricane season. Including the meals served during the past 48 hours, the Army has provided throughout the Gulf Coast nearly 1 million meals to people affected by Hurricanes Dolly, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and now, Hurricane Ike. The Army also has three other 48-foot, mobile kitchens which can serve more than 20,000 meals per day and is using new satellite communications equipment that creates local phone and Internet networks for its incident command teams. Throughout Texas, the Army is supporting the evacuation and shelter effort in at least 25 locations.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by the recent tropical cyclones 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 and will provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit (containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies). The Salvation Army currently is not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims; however, please continue giving to your local Salvation Army thrift store and the much needed programs your in-kind gifts support.

PRESS RELEASE: Salvation Army Joins "Strike Teams" to Assess Hurricane Ike Damage

Mobile Feeding Units Support Texas National Guard to Provide Food, Hydration and Emotional and Spiritual Care

Alexandria, Va. (September 13, 2008) – The Salvation Army today deployed five mobile disaster response units as part of three Texas National Guard “Strike Teams” that are responding to storm-affected areas in the wake of Hurricane Ike. The Salvation Army will provide hot meals, hydration and emotional and spiritual care to military personnel, emergency responders and others affected by the storm. The three strike teams staged operations in Galveston, Lufkin and Beaumont, Tex., and will be planning for the long-term response during the next several days.

“The early indications are that this storm is the worst of the five we have already responded to in the 2008 hurricane season,” said Major Marshall Gesner, Greater Houston Area Commander for The Salvation Army. “With more than 4 million people without power, wide-spread flooding and high temperatures forecast for the area, our response will be about twice the size of our effort for Hurricane Gustav.”

As part of the operation, two Salvation Army mobile canteens units—equipped with commercial kitchen equipment—joined a caravan of nearly 35 military vehicles as they moved into Galveston. Two canteens staged an operation from Lufkin, while one is serving from Beaumont to serve recovery efforts near the Ford Arena.

The Salvation Army began staging its overall disaster response effort in San Antonio and Tyler earlier this week. In total, the Army has a fleet of more than 60 canteens on active duty for this storm. Three 48-foot, mobile kitchens are being deployed to the most affected areas. The Salvation Army also is using new satellite communications equipment that creates local phone and Internet networks for its incident command teams. Throughout Texas, the Army is supporting the evacuation and shelter effort in at least 12 locations.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by the recent tropical cyclones 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 and will provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit (containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies). The Salvation Army currently is not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims; however, please continue giving to your local Salvation Army thrift store and the much needed programs your in-kind gifts support.

PRESS RELEASE: Salvation Army Mobile Feeding Units Deployed in Preparation for Hurricane Ike While Serving Gustav

Donations urgently needed for disaster response

Jackson, Miss. (September 12, 2008) The Salvation Army’s ALM Division has deployed 10 Mobile Feeding Units to Tyler, Texas in preparation for Hurricane Ike. The Salvation Army is preparing its response to the hurricane by loading its local feeding units and asking surrounding areas to send their canteens and mobile kitchens to the Texas Gulf Coast region.

“We are preparing for the worst and hoping for the best,” said Major Gene Hogg, Divisional Secretary for the Alabama-Mississippi-Louisiana Division of The Salvation Army.

The length of time that the canteen will stay in Texas is unknown at this time, but as always, The Salvation Army will be on-site throughout this disaster until we are no longer needed.

The Salvation Army continues to serve those affected by Hurricane Gustav in south Louisiana. Since service began on September 1, 2008, almost 500,000 meals and drinks have been served. In addition over 2,000 clean up kits have been distributed. Recovery services will continue in south Louisiana until power is restored. Currently 28 mobile feeding units are serving in Louisiana.

Salvation Army Disaster Services are funded solely by the generous donations of the American public.

Donations are urgently needed to support the ongoing relief and recovery efforts in Louisiana and to support efforts in Texas related to Hurricane Ike.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by Hurricane Ike 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.

PRESS RELEASE: Salvation Army Supporting Shelter and Evacuation for Hurricane Ike With Meals for Thousands of Evacuees and Emergency Workers

Warns Residents That Storm’s Path Threatens Major Population Center and Heightens Danger

Alexandria, Va. (September 12, 2008) – The Salvation Army today is supporting the evacuation and shelter operations ordered by the State of Texas prior to the anticipated landfall of Hurricane Ike late Friday. In anticipation of the growing storm, The Army has deployed a fleet of more than 60 mobile canteen units, along with satellite communications equipment and other materials and is preparing a disaster response operation that could rival the one it mounted for Hurricane Katrina, its largest ever. As Ike heads toward major population centers around Houston, Tex., the Army’s primary mission will be to meet the immediate needs of those affected by the storm, including emergency responders.

“A storm of this size and intensity threatening a metropolitan area presents an enormous danger,” said Major James Taylor, Texas Divisional Secretary for The Salvation Army. “Hurricane-force winds and wide-spread flooding could not only cause loss of life and property, but could displace thousands of people for an indefinite period of time. We’ll need public support to ensure a viable long-term response effort for the many people we expect will be in need.”

As part of its operation, The Salvation Army began staging personnel and resources in San Antonio and Tyler, Tex., earlier this week with everything in place by nightfall today. This positioning will allow incident response teams to attack the storm from two sides immediately after it passes. Many of the resources have been held over from the recent evacuation and response to Hurricane Gustav which struck the Gulf Coast last month. More than 100 additional canteens are on standby from surrounding states as far away as Florida and North Carolina.

On Friday in San Antonio, The Salvation Army will continue to serve meals from a large mobile kitchen and two canteens stationed at Kelly Air Force Base. The Army is serving about 600 meals at a time, including a breakfast and midnight supper. Several smaller mobile canteens units will deploy to San Antonio for staging once the storm clears the coast.

In Tyler, The Salvation Army began feeding on Thursday at the evacuee registration center. Approximately 50 bus loads of people have already arrived and more are expected today. Additional canteens from the Gustav response will be staging there, along with five Southern Baptist kitchens and a satellite communications trailer, among other materials and equipment.
In addition, several Salvation Army units in Texas have mobilized to support sheltering and feeding including:

Texarkana - sheltering and feeding
Paris – feeding
Tyler - feeding and sheltering first responders
Abilene - feeding at an American Red Cross (ARC) shelter in Marshall
Port Arthur - feeding at an ARC shelter in Nacogdoches
Lufkin - feeding at Civic Center
College Station - feeding breakfasts at ARC shelter on Texas A&M Campus
Temple - feeding at scattered sites in Bell County
Killeen - feeding at two sites in Killeen
Dallas-Ft. Worth - prepared to feed at several sites in the Metroplex beginning Friday
Kerrville - feeding in New Braunfels

As part of its disaster response operation, The Salvation Army also is pre-positioning personnel and inventories to provide those affected by the storm with:
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

“We are worried that this storm could be as dangerous and catastrophic as Hurricane Katrina and are preparing as such,” said Major Taylor. “At this point in the storm season, this will be a serious financial challenge, because we have been heavily taxed by Dolly, Fay, Gustav, Hanna and now Ike.”

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by the recent tropical cyclones 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 and will provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit (containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies). The Salvation Army currently is not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims; however, please continue supporting your local Salvation Army thrift store and the much needed programs your in-kind gifts support.

PRESS RELEASE: Disasters - Personal and Public

Working Miracles Every Day


BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ “This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System.” This sound can so often annoy us, especially when a favorite song is playing on the radio. This is a sound that reminds us of the delicate balance between man and nature. This is a sound for which The Salvation Army prepares.

Emergency Disaster Services is what The Salvation Army does EVERY DAY. It is most visible when we respond to the community-wide disasters that strike indiscriminately. But far more often, The Salvation Army responds to very personal disasters. Last year in Baton Rouge, The Salvation Army responded to 17,183 personal disasters.

On September 1, 2008 The Salvation Army was already in place to respond to Hurricane Gustav. The Salvation Army has been actively involved in meeting the changing needs of Greater Baton Rouge. A significant part of that disaster service is the distribution of 155,625 meals thus far.

The Salvation Army is also distributing clean-up kits, food boxes, and providing basic social services from their thrift store from their center at 7631 Airline Highway in Baton Rouge. This distribution will take place between 9:00 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday; until either the need, or the supply is exhausted.

The Salvation Army plans extensively for disasters—large and small. Hurricanes, tornados, floods, homelessness, addictions, and hunger; The Salvation Army prepares for them all. Even as The Salvation Army continues its response to Gustav—moving into recovery efforts—there is a Salvation Army force mobilizing to respond to Ike.

“...the Emergency Broadcast System…” and “…thank you for calling The Salvation Army…” Both may be followed by an announcement of a disaster. Both are for systems that make preparations for those disasters. In times of disaster, both are followed by the steps for safety and success.

The Salvation Army in Baton Rouge is working every day to meet those disasters—large and small…public and private.


HURRICANE GUSTAV
SERVICE-AT-A-GLANCE

Service Day 10
18,255 Meals Served Today
6,752 Snacks Served Today
12,088 Drinks Served Today
155,625 Total Meals Served-To-Date
65,383 Meals Served in East Baton Rouge Parish
22,282 Meals Served in West Baton Rouge Parish
17,078 Meals Served in Livingston Parish
22,896 Meals Served in Iberville Parish
8,709 Meals Served in Ascension Parish
6,475 Meals Served in Pointe Coupee Parish
2,138 Meals Served in St. Mary's Parish
6,984 Meals Served in East Feliciana
2,680 Meals Served in West Feliciana
14,957 Total Hours Served-To-Date
18 Canteens in service in Greater Baton Rouge
Plus an additional four (4) canteens rotating for maintenance
Five (5) canteens released to Texas, staging for Ike.
3 Cooking Kitchens
Two Baptist Kitchens
One Salvation Army Kitchen
83 additional Salvation Army workers currently in Baton Rouge to serve
Plus an additional 87 staff and program participants already here

Countless lives touched in the 103 years The Salvation Army has been serving Baton Rouge

For details on canteen feeding locations or Salvation Army distribution, contact The Salvation Army at 225-355-4483.


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.

PRESS RELEASE: New Orleans Hornets and The Salvation Army Swarm to Serve Residents of South Louisiana

Over 400,000 meals have been served in Louisiana since September 1, 2008

New Orleans, La. – The New Orleans Hornets came like a swarm, pouring out of the bus one after another ready to help residents recovering from Hurricane Gustav in Terrebonne Parish. The cars lined up like ants stretching over a half a mile with residents seeking water, ice, food, and encouragement from The Salvation Army.

The New Orleans Hornets coaches, staff and players led by owner George Shinn joined The Salvation Army in Houma, Louisiana on Wednesday to serve over 10,000 hot meals and provide encouragement to those recovering from Hurricane Gustav.

Over 50 New Orleans Hornets employees, coaches and players passed out hot meal plates, gave away basketballs, and distributed clean up kits to the thousands of residents continuing to recover in Terrebonne Parish.

“The Salvation Army is a wonderful organization that reaches out to those in need, which speaks to my heart,” said Hornets Owner George Shinn. “We are proud to partner with them to provide our neighbors in Houma, Galliano and Golden Meadow food and other resources to alleviate the stress that Hurricane Gustav has caused in our home state. This is a time to unite and work together because while valuables and possessions can be replaced, the people of this region are irreplaceable.”

In addition to handing out food, Hornets owner George Shinn spent several moments greeting passengers of each car encouraging them in their recovery. Mr. Shinn also spent time speaking with children and leading them in Hornets cheers, providing a much needed diversion from Hurricane Gustav.

“What a great way to support the community, two organizations partnering to bring hope, compassion and an uplifting experience to residents of Houma and Terrebonne Parish,” said Captain Ethan Frizzell, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of New Orleans.

“Many thanks to Mr. Shinn and the Hornets organization for their support of The Salvation Army’s relief efforts in South Louisiana,” he added.

The Salvation Army has served over 400,000 meals to residents of Louisiana and Mississippi affected by Hurricane Gustav since relief services began.