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Released 26 August 2011
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Alexandria, Virginia (August 26, 2011) – In
advance of Hurricane Irene, Commissioner William Roberts, the National
Commander of The Salvation Army, today declared a national disaster, which puts
all units on alert status throughout the United States. All
divisions of The Salvation Army stand
ready to assist by preparing staff, equipment and supplies to support impacted
areas along the East Coast. The Salvation Army will provide food, drinks and
spiritual and emotional care to emergency responders and survivors in impacted
areas between the Carolinas and New England.
“While
it is
customary to declare such an event a ‘national’ disaster after the
hurricane
has reached land, I am taking the step to make that declaration today in
consideration of various logistical decisions that must be made,” said
Commissioner Roberts. “As The Salvation Army now moves into strategic
positions
that will put us directly at the point of need, we are praying for God’s
mercy
upon all of those who will be caught in the direct path of this very large
storm.”
The Salvation Army
has already begun
to serve those affected by Hurricane Irene in Puerto Rico
by providing support to the homeless, sick and disabled. Nearly 800,000
residents of Puerto Rico are without power and Salvation Army shelters continue
to be available in Puerto Rico, St. Thomas and St. Croix . In the Bahamas,
an emergency operations center has been established in Kingston. The Salvation
Army has begun
initial distribution of food and water supplies. There is also a plan in place
to ship Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and bottled water to the Turks and Caicos
later this week.
Salvation Army locations across the United States
have mobile feeding units on standby – these units are able to provide
hundreds
of thousands of meals per day if needed. In the Carolinas
specifically, the Army has 30 mobile canteens able to provide in excess of
45,000 meals when operating at full capacity. An Incident Command Team has been
established in Charlotte, NC
and will deploy to the Carolina
coast once the storm passes.
The Salvation
Army is asking residents of the entire East Coast, from the Carolinas to New
England, to be prepared with an emergency disaster
plan and heed all evacuation orders from public officials. Critical decisions
need to be made ahead of time, before the storm makes landfall.
For
more information on The Salvation Army’s
preparation and response to Hurricane Irene, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/ , www.facebook.com/salvation
armyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarm
yus.
Monetary donations:
The
best way to help now is to call
1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) or go to donate.salvationarmyusa.org/Irene to make a donation by credit card. Checks may be mailed to The Salvation Army
Disaster
Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box
1959, Atlanta, GA
30301. Donations
should be designated: "2011 Hurricane Season" Cell phone users may
also text the word STORM to 80888. A one-time donation of $10
will be
billed to your mobile phone bill**.
**Messaging
and date rates may apply. Donations are collected for The Salvation Army by
mobilecause.com. Reply STOP to 80888 to stop. Reply HELP to 80888 for help. For
terms, see www.igfn.org/t.
Donations of used
Household
Goods and Clothing:
Due to the high expense and time demands
associated with
delivering your gently-used household goods and clothing (gifts-in-kind), The
Salvation cannot guarantee that any individual gifts-in-kind donated now will
be sent to the disaster area. In time of disaster, our stores fill these needs
from existing, pre-sorted stock. By continuing to donate gently-used household
goods to your local Salvation Army store, you not only help your community, you
help us prepare for future disaster relief needs. To find your nearest drop-off
location, please go to www.satruck.org.
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 more than 130 years in the United
States.
Nearly 30 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. 82 cents of every dollar spent is
used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more
information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
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