Salvation Army chips in to help Hurricane Harvey victims

Published 5:50 pm Tuesday, August 29, 2017

The Bainbridge Salvation Army and the others around Georgia are prepared and on stand-by, ready to help the people affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Persons wishing to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey and the massive flooding, can make financial donations to the local Salvation Army, who in turn, will forward the money to the appropriate resource in Texas.

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The local SA is also on standby awaiting notification to send a rescue team and canteen.

“The impact of this hurricane is dramatic,” says Lanita Lloyd, Emergency Disaster Director for The Salvation Army of Georgia. “Due to the size of the population impacted, including Houston, Texas, the county’s fourth largest city, we anticipate this will be the largest and longest emergency response in the history of The Salvation Army in America.”

The Salvation Army of Georgia has a fleet of mobile feeding units (canteens) designed for rapid and free-standing response in times of emergency. Eighteen Salvation Army canteens in Georgia stand ready to be deployed wherever needed at a moment’s notice to help those in need. The canteens can be stocked with three full days of food and drinks ready to serve affected areas. After deployment, the mobile canteens have the ability to restock and move throughout affected areas.

A specially trained and experienced Incident Command Team (ICT) is currently deploying to one of the hardest hit areas around the city of Victoria, Texas. The ICT will monitor the continually changing situation in the area and communicate with state and local officials to coordinate efforts and respond effectively. In addition, a representative from The Salvation Amy will work with the State Operational Command (SOC), located in San Antonio, Texas, to help coordinate relief efforts among federal, state and local organizations.

In times of disaster, The Salvation Army traditionally serves and prepares meals from its mobile canteens, helps distribute cleaning supplies, and offers comfort to those impacted. According to Lanita Lloyd, “The best way to help survivors and relief workers is to make a financial contribution.” Monetary donations allow disaster responders to immediately meet the specific needs of disaster survivors as the situation continues to be assessed.

Currently, The Salvation Army is not accepting in-kind donations from the general public for disaster relief operations. This may or may not change once as the situation develops and a more complete assessment of survivor’s needs are known.

However, The Salvation Army depends upon your donation of used clothing and other items to support local programming. Please consider donating your used clothing, used furniture, and other items to your local Salvation Army Family Store.

Those who want to help people directly affected by Hurricane Harvey are asked to consider the following ways to help;

Donations may be made:

Online: helpsalvationarmy.org

Donate by phone: 1-800–SAL-ARMY

Mail checks to: The Salvation Army P.O. BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301

Please designate ‘Hurricane Harvey’ on all checks.

To receive a donation link via text: Text STORM to 51555