• Shelley Henderson

Salvation Army Begins Transition to Recovery in South Carolina

Columbia, SC (October 14, 2015) - The Salvation Army has been busy serving thousands of disaster survivors and first responders throughout flood ravaged areas of South Carolina. At the peak of relief service 20 mobile feeding teams and employees and volunteers from every division in the Southern Territory were serving in areas devastated by the natural disaster.

Currently The Salvation Army is drafting plans for the transition from the emergency relief phase to intermediate and long-term recovery and care of storm survivors.

"We continue to assess the needs in the region and serve wherever we are needed," said Major Roger Coulson, Corps Officer for The Salvation Army in the Midlands. “Our ability to provide recovery assistance and long-term care are dependent upon the community’s response and generosity.”

The Salvation Army is delivering nonperishable food boxes and flood clean up kits to impacted areas as high waters recede. Each kit contains a mop, broom, bucket, cleaning and sanitizing supplies, towels, rags, and gloves.  To date more than 1,900 clean up and hygiene kits have been distributed across South Carolina. 

Emotional and Spiritual care teams have deployed across impacted areas, assessing the needs of the communities where they are serving as they provide hope and prayer. In some instances it’s a laugh or a bottle of water.  For others, it may be more substantial with a prayer, a Bible, a hot meal, food box or clean up kit for their flooded home.

To date, the organization has served 44,958 meals and 78,685 snacks and drinks, staff members and trained volunteers have worked 5,540 hours of service, and provided over 1,185 individuals with emotional and spiritual care.

Natural disasters require additional resources to meet the ever-increasing demand on services.  The most important need to continue the social services programs is monetary support to respond to needs and case management for individuals and families in need.

It is easy to give to The Salvation Army:

• By phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

• Online: https://donate.salvationarmyusa.org/disaster/East-Coast-Floods-Disaster-Relief

• By mail: Send your gift to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief PO BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301 or to         your local Salvation Army unit.  Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly mark   your gift "East Coast Floods."

• By Text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile giving

For the latest emergency disaster services news from The Salvation Army, follow the social feed on Twitter at @salarmyeds or visit www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

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About The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services 
The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” While every disaster is unique and creates its own special needs, the core of The Salvation Army's disaster program consists of several basic services. And while these services address many of the typical needs of a disaster survivor, Salvation Army disaster relief is also flexible. Our services are adapted to the specific needs of individuals and communities and scalable according to the magnitude of the disaster.

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