Dallas, TX – The second wave of Salvation Army staff and volunteers arrived in Strawn, Texas, Tuesday afternoon to relieve workers who had been serving firefighters and other responders since Saturday. This was the first rotation of Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services staff since the wildfire response effort began in the area. Three Salvation Army mobile feeding units, each capable of feeding up to 2,500 meals per day, remain along with 10 crew members.
The Salvation Army is working closely with the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention who are now responsible for all food service management at the Incident Command Post, preparing the food on site, to be served and delivered by The Salvation Army. This is a long standing partnership that has proved to be very effective in both small and large scale emergency situations.
Wildfires continued to spread throughout the region on Tuesday and by late afternoon the cities of Strawn and Palo Pinto were under evacuation orders. Due to the close proximity of several intense fires the Incident Command Post, located in Strawn, was relocated to Fort Wolters in Mineral Wells, 35 miles away where service continues.
Since Saturday April 9, The Salvation Army has served more than 12,667 meals, 22,667 hydration units and 7,224 snacks, utilizing 14 mobile feeding units at 9 wildfire locations in west Texas. As weather conditions improve and fires are increasingly contained it is anticipated that Salvation Army staff and vehicles will be released by Friday, April 22.
In the coming days The Salvation Army will transition it’s assistance into the restoration phase and will consider how to best assist those people who have lost their homes and possessions as a result of the wildfires.
Monetary donations are needed to provide The Salvation Army with the flexibility to provide the services most needed by individuals in the affected areas. Donations can be made by mail to P.O. Box 36607, Dallas, TX 75235, by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY or online at www.salvationarmytexas.org
For more information about The Salvation Army’s disaster response effort, please go to www.Facebook.com/SalvationArmyTexas, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org, or www.salvationarmytexas.org.
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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 129 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.
October 9, 2009
About The Salvation Army