Trained disaster professionals converge on
South Texas in historic beginning
of Atlantic hurricane season
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 11,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Salvation Army's Emergency
Disaster Services (EDS) teams are coordinating mass feeding
operations as Hurricane Beryl continues to impact the southern
coast of Texas after making
landfall as a Category I hurricane the morning of July 8. As the earliest recorded Category V
hurricane ever, trained disaster relief personnel were ready to
respond to this historic and potentially catastrophic storm. The
Salvation Army has activated mobile feeding units in and around
Houston and Galveston to meet the needs of the communities
impacted by wide-scale flooding and power outages.
"The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned as the only national
social service organization ready to meet human needs in almost
every ZIP code in the country," said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, national commander of The
Salvation Army. "With the support of generous Americans everywhere,
we will be able to continue offering the services, resources, and
hope for as long as they are needed during this critical
time."
The Salvation Army is also collaborating with federal, state,
and local emergency management agencies to monitor ongoing impacts
and adapt response efforts as needed.
"Despite Hurricane Beryl's arrival kick-starting a potentially
unprecedented and prolonged hurricane season, The Salvation Army
was prepared to serve," said Jeff
Jellets, EDS director for The Salvation Army's Southern
Territory. "Thanks to investments made to enhance disaster
preparedness and response efforts, our territorial EDS
professionals are prepared to serve more than 15,000 meals per day
alongside emotional and spiritual care and other essential
services."
The Salvation Army's active services:
- Fifteen Salvation Army mobile feeding units and trained
disaster teams from San Antonio,
TX, New Braunfels, TX,
Victoria, TX, Kerrville, TX, Granbury, TX, Bryan/College Station, TX, Conroe, TX, Freeport, TX, Jackson, MS, Mobile,
AL, Gulfport, MS,
Birmingham, AL, and Baton Rouge, LA have been deployed to
Houston and the impacted area.
- Food distributed by mobile feeding units is being supplied by
partners like Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.
- Feeding operations began Tuesday in the following locations:
- Spring Branch, Community
Health Center, 8575 Pitner Road, Houston
- Campanile Justice Park, 39
Justice Park Drive, Houston
- Shady Village Manufactured Homes and Wichita Mobile Home Park,
2732 Cherry Brook Lane, Houston
- Independence Hall Apartments, 6 Burress St., Houston
- Brazoria County – Angleton
High School, 1 Campus Drive, Angleton, 77515, Holiday Lakes Government
Office, 195 N. Texas Ave., Holiday Lakes and roaming in
Freeport, Lake Jackson and West Columbia
- Matagorda County - Markham
Elementary, 200 Sixth St., Palacios Elementary, 1001 Fifth St.,
Palacios, Bay Breeze Apartments,
800 Ave. F, Bay City and Matagorda
Elementary, 717 Wightman St., Matagorda
- Wharton County - Wharton Civic
Center, 1924 N. Fulton St., Wharton and Boling
Lago High School, 407 Atlantic Ave., Boling-Iago
- Brazoria County - Angleton
High School, 1 Campus Drive, Angleton, 77515 and Holiday Lakes Government
Office, 195 N. Texas Ave., Holiday Lakes, and roaming in
West Columbia
- So far, the Salvation Army has served:
- 14,158 meals and 1,266 meal boxes
- 12,760 drinks
- 4,598 snacks
- 1,711 Emotional and Spiritual Care contacts
The best way to support EDS efforts in Texas is by making a financial contribution,
which allows The Salvation Army to meet immediate and long-term
needs. Those who are able to donate can do so through a variety of
convenient methods:
- Online: helpsalvationarmy.org
- Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
- Venmo: @SalvationArmyUSA and use the keywords Hurricane Beryl,
Hurricane, or Beryl
To learn more about The Salvation Army's disaster relief
efforts, click here.
A media kit with photos and other useful materials can be found
here.
For media inquiries, please
email mediarelations@salvationarmyusa.org.
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army annually helps nearly 24 million people in
America overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships through
a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry,
emergency relief for disaster survivors, shelter for the homeless,
and rehabilitation services for people in need. The Salvation Army
is doing the most good at 7,000 centers of operation around the
country. During times of disaster, 100% of designated donations to
The Salvation Army are used for immediate response and long-term
efforts. In 2021, The Salvation Army was ranked No. 2 on the list
of "America's Favorite Charities" by The Chronicle of
Philanthropy. For more information,
visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on X @SalvationArmyUS
and #DoingTheMostGood.
Media Contact
Bishop Wash, Director, PR
Lerma Agency
972-854-1586
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SOURCE The Salvation Army