• Cynthia (Cindy) Fuller

Salvation Army Responds to Garland and Randolph Counties, Arkansas

Oklahoma City, OK – The Salvation Army is currently serving meals and emotional and spiritual care in two counties in Arkansas in response to the tornado that occurred Monday evening and current flooding.  Below is a brief summary of the emergency services being provided.

Garland County:

The Little Rock unit is located at the First Baptist Church in Royal and serving the Brady Mountain Area.  Captain David Robinson states “Homes were battered, trees were down and it was total chaos.  However, local people were helping with chain saws going from house to house.   We followed someone up the mountain and made 18 stops serving 195 meals on Wednesday.”  Currently, The Salvation Army is providing three meals a day.  Power is out and there is not a prediction at this time as to when it will be back in the community.

In Sunshine, the Salvation Army is serving lunch and dinner from the Antioch Baptist Church.  The power is running off of the Conway Corps’ generator. 

The El Dorado canteen is located at First Baptist Church in Walnut Valley.  Breakfast, lunch and dinner are being provided.  Also, several cases of water were delivered to Fountain Lake this morning by the canteen.

The Hot Springs Corps is preparing lunch and dinner to be taken to all three locations.  An appeal for volunteers to help serve/prepare meals in the Royal, AR has been sent via radio.  Currently, The Salvation Army is the only disaster response agency in the area.

To date, 1,023 meals have been served as well as cases and cases of water and hundreds of snacks.

Randolph County

Major Johnny Poff, (Mountain Home, AR has sent a canteen/crew to the Pocahontas area.  The main levee protecting that town from the Black River has broken as of 10:00am today.  Highway 67 between Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge is under water.  He is planning on serving as long as needed and working with the local emergency management and our service unit volunteer to assist those in need.

Financial donations are needed to support disaster relief efforts.  There are four ways to donate:

• Text “GIVE” to 80888 for a $10 donation
• Visit www.salvationarmyusa.org
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and designate April 2011 Tornado Outbreak. 
• Checks may be made out to “The Salvation Army Disaster Services” and mailed to PO Box 100339, Atlanta, GA  30384-0339.  Monetary donations will ensure The Salvation Army can meet the most immediate needs of those impacted by disaster. 

Contact:          Captain Ben Walters, Conway Corps Officer

                        501.908.2235 or ben_walters@uss.salvationarmy.org

                        Heide Brandes, Public Information Officer

                        405.623.0665 or heide_brandes@uss.salvationarmy.org