• Dulcinea Cuellar Kimrey

The Salvation Army responds to Tropical Storm Debby

Lutz, Fla. (June 26, 2012) – Today The Salvation Army deployed seven canteens (mobile kitchens) to communities flooded by Tropical Storm Debby.

Disaster teams from Clay, Marion, Alachua, Citrus counties as well as Jacksonville, Tallahassee and North Central Florida Outpost (Madison county) are being assembled and will begin helping residents as soon as they arrive to the destination.

Those communities include Suwannee, Franklin, Wakaulla and Nassau counties. The Salvation Army is on standby in Hillsborough county to help support a community along the Manatee river.

“From Naples to Panama City, Debby is definitely making its mark on Florida,” said Kevin Smith, Emergency Disaster Services director for The Salvation Army of Florida. “It’s amazing what this storm has done.”

The Salvation Army plans to distribute hot meals, clean up kits and water.

Smith said The Salvation Army is committed to helping communities affected by the storm even after the flood waters recede.

“We are thankful that the storm hasn’t intensified, but we are concerned for the impact of the rising water and increase tides and how that will affect those along the rivers across Florida,” Smith said.

In the short-term, The Salvation Army will focus primarily on the immediate needs of disaster survivors and first-responders, providing food and hydration for impacted individuals and families.

For more information about how The Salvation Army is responding to Tropical Storm Debby and other disasters, please log on to www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org. You can also follow @salarmyeds, @salarmyfla, @salarmyflaeds or search “Salvation Army Florida Division” on Facebook to access the latest information.

The Salvation Army asks people who want to help those affected by disaster to visit www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Monetary donations are needed to meet survivors’ most immediate needs. A $100 donation can feed a family of four for two days, provide two cases of drinking water and one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and cleaning supplies.

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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 130 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 carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.