• Jeffrey Jellets

More than 12,000 Meals Already Served in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

Atlanta, GA - Even as Hurricane Matthew continues to pound North and South Carolina, Salvation Army disaster units in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas have already begun to respond to the storm's effects, providing 13,532 Meals, 8,619 Drinks, and 6,070 Snacks (for current statistics go to http://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/aboutus/?fastfacts).  Seventy-four (74) Salvation Army mobile feeding units are now active across across four states.

Florida Division

The Salvation Army Florida Division has deployed 30 canteens today to begin providing food and hydration to communities affected by Hurricane Matthew.  In addition to units from Florida, six canteens (from Birmingham, AL, Mobile, AL, Tuscaloosa, AL, Jackson, MS, and McComb, MS) are serving today in affected areas of the Sunshine State:

• 12 mobile feeding units, working from The Salvation Army's Daytona Beach corps, will provide services in Volusia County.
• 11 mobile feeding units under The Salvation Army's Jacksonville Area Command are assigned to provide services in Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, and St. Johns counties.
• 5 mobile feeding units, under The Salvation Army Melbourne corps, have been deployed to Brevard County.
• Additional mobile feeding units are active in St. Lucie, Indian River, and Martin counties.

Georgia Division

Two Incident Management Teams (IMT) will deploy on Saturday and Sunday.  One team will deploy to Savannah and another to Brunswick, GA. The Brunswick IMT is being deployed from The Salvation Army's Arkansas & Oklahoma Division and will be responsible for coordinating operations in both Brunswick and St. Marys, GA.

The Georgia Division has activated 18 mobile feeding units across the state.

These units include 11 mobile kitchens deploying  to the GA coast.  Four canteens (from Atlanta Red Shield, Carrollton, Covington and Macon) will deploy to Savannah; four canteens (from Elberton, Gainesville, Lawrenceville and Columbus) to Brunswick; and three canteens (from Americus, Bainbridge and Valdosta) to St. Marys. A 53' foot field kitchen from Texas and an additional disaster canteen from Biloxi, MS, is also in route to support feeding efforts.

In addition, The Salvation Army Georgia Division has been actively supporting evacuation efforts across the Peach State for several days.  Local Salvation Army disaster teams have been providing meals and drinks at evacuation shelters, emergency operations centers, and critical workforce staging areas.  Pre-landfall mass care locations include sites in Augusta, Dublin, Douglas, Macon, Savannah, Tifton and Waycross.  Six additional Salvation Army mobile kitchens have been deployed to support these efforts, including the Albany, Augusta, Dublin, Savannah, St. Marys, and Atlanta Evangeline Booth College canteens.

North & South Carolina Division

The Salvation Army has 26 mobile feeding units positioned in the states of North and South Carolina in advance of Hurricane Matthew.  These include six out-of-division canteens from Louisville KY, Perry County KY, Clarksville TN, Charleston WV, Huntington WV, and Princeton, WV.

Even before Hurricane Matthew impacts the two states' coasts today, The Salvation Army has provided extensive support to local emergency management officials coordinating evacuation efforts:

• Salvation Army personnel in Charleston, SC are providing mass feeding support to the Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester County EOCs with the support of the Greenville, SC canteen and team and the Winston-Salem, NC canteen and team.
• Salvation Army personnel in Orangeburg, SC are providing mass feeding support to responders at the Orangeburg County EOC as well as four shelter sites. The Greensboro canteen is in place and staffed with a crew from Orangeburg.
• Salvation Army personnel in Beaufort, SC are providing mass feeding support to responders at the Beaufort County EOC with the support of the Anderson, SC canteen and crew.
• Salvation Army personnel in Georgetown, SC are providing mass feeding support to the Georgetown County EOC as well as the Williamsburg County EOC in addition to six shelter sites with support from the Charlotte canteen and crew.
• Salvation Army personnel in Sumter, SC are providing mass feeding support to shelters in Clarendon and Sumter Counties with the support of the Hickory canteen and crew.
• Salvation Army personnel in Columbia, SC are providing mass feeding support to emergency personnel and rescue crews staged along the I-26.
• Salvation Army personnel in Aiken, SC are providing mass feeding support from their kitchen to responders at the Barnwell County EOC.
• A canteen from Waynesville, NC has been deployed to Conway, SC to provide local support.

Additional Response Activities

The Salvation Army of Dothan, AL, is providing support at an emergency evacuation shelter in Dothan, AL, and is coordinating the delivery of meals.
The Salvation Army has deployed two satellite communications units in support of disaster operations; one unit is in Florida and the second is stationed in North Carolina.

Salvation Army liaisons are being dispatched to state emergency operations centers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and the FEMA National and Regional Response Coordination Centers in Washington, DC and Atlanta, GA respectively.  The Salvation Army is also staffing numerous county emergency operations centers in impacted states.

An additional Incident Management Assistance Team and seven additional mobile feeding units from The Salvation Army's National Capital & Virginia Division remains on standby.

How People Can Help

The best way to help after a disaster is to make a financial donation to the charity of your choice.  Cash is flexible, can be used immediately in response to a crisis, and allows disaster relief organizations to purchase exactly what is needed, when it’s needed. Cash gives relief organizations the means to procure supplies near the affected area, which cuts down on transportation time and cost. Monetary contributions also support local economies and ensure that businesses can operate when relief supplies diminish.

It’s easy to support The Salvation Army’s disaster relief program:

• Donate Online: http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/hurricane_matthew    
• Donate By Mail: The Salvation Army PO BOX 1959  Atlanta, GA 30301  Please designate 'Hurricane Matthew' on all checks.
• Donate By Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
• Donate By Text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile giving

To support The Salvation Army's Hurricane Matthew relief efforts in Haiti, Bahamas, and the other Caribbean islands, please consider making a financial gift at salar.my/Matthew