• Mark Jones

The Salvation Army Provided Thousands of Meals to Storm Ravaged Communities

Jackson, MS - Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams are actively responding to the deadly tornadoes which ravaged much of the southeastern United States over the last two days.  To date, at least 272 lives have been lost while many more have suffered injuries and face catastrophic property damage.  Hundreds of thousands are currently without electricity.

“I have served in many disasters but I don’t think I have ever seen people coming together to help one another as they have in this community. People were showing up with chain saws and tools ready to work early this morning and it has been great to see this kind of response to a tragic situation,” said EDS team member Timothy Israel.

Currently, EDS personnel are providing food, beverages, and emotional/spiritual care to storm victims in Alabama and Mississippi. Over 6,000 were served on Thursday. Additional resources, such as clean-up kits, are being made available as needed in a number of areas. 

Alabama – Alabama, which was especially hard hit, has seen the death count rise to approximately 180 people.  Salvation Army EDS personnel and mobile feeding units are serving multiple locations throughout the state.  Three mobile feeding crews are serving in Tuscaloosa, two in Guntersville, one in Phil Campbell, one in Marion County, one in Molten, and six in Birmingham.  The Salvation Army Corps and Shelter in Tuscaloosa was destroyed as tornadoes ripped through the area.  The Salvation Army is also dispatching a pastoral care team to Marion County to assist with the tragic loss of life.  Below are the feeding locations for  4/29.

Friday canteen deployments and meals served:

Franklin County, Phil Campbell, AL, Rescue Squad Mobile Morgue - 300 meals
Marion County, Hackleburg, AL City Hall - 250 meals
Jefferson County, 2100 11th Ave. N.; Birmingham, AL, Salvation Army Bldg. - 1200 meals
Lawrence County, 555 Walnut Street; Molton, AL  35650, EOC - 500 meals
DeKalb County, 99 McCurdy Ave. S. Rainesville, AL  35986, Broadway Baptist Church - 500 meals
Marshall County, 1336 Gunter Ave.; Guntersville, AL - 500 meals
Tuscaloosa, Greensboro, AL,  Salvation Army Bldg. - 750 meals
Bibb County, 3155 W. Eloine Rd.; Eloine, AL  35042, Church - 250 meals
Madison Countym Huntsville, AL, Roaming Service - 400 meals
Calhoun County, North Calhoun County, AL, Roaming Service 

Mississippi – Mobile feeding units are currently serving residents of Kemper County, Webster County, and Oxford.  Additionally information will be shared as reports are made available. Below are the feeding locations for 4/29:

Friday canteen deployments and meals served:

Lafayette County, Oxford, MS, Roaming Service - 250 meals
Smithville, MS, City Hall 
Kemper County, MS, Roaming Service - 400
      
Salvation Army EDS personnel and mobile feeding units are also on standby in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia, Florida, and Texas will be deployed as needed.

Additionally, The Salvation Army is responding in other southern states.

Arkansas – An EDS mobile feeding unit has been sent to the Pocahontas area of Randolph County.  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. 

Tennessee – EDS personnel are actively serving residents of Cleveland, Chattanooga, Murfreesboro, Dyersburg, Greenville, and Memphis.  Additional units are on standby throughout the state ready to respond as needed. 

The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services Warehouse and Command Center in Jackson is being utilized to manage the widespread response across Alabama and Mississippi.  

As damage reports are received, Salvation Army EDS personnel and mobile feeding units currently on standby in Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Maryland and West Virginia will be deployed. 

Financial donations are needed to support disaster relief efforts.  The Salvation Army asks those who want to help to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY and designate "April 2011 Tornado Outbreak."  Donors may text “GIVE” to 80888.  Checks may be made out to;

The Salvation Army Disaster Relief

P.O. Box 100339

Atlanta, GA 30384-0339. 

Monetary donations will ensure The Salvation Army can meet the most immediate needs of those impacted by disaster.

 

About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year. The Salvation Army provides food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, and outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing, shelter and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY, or send a check to your local Salvation Army earmarked for disaster relief.