• SCOTT JOHNSON

The Salvation Army Southwest Division Responds to Unseasonable Winter Weather

PHOENIX (Feb. 22, 2019) – The recent winter blast that has brought unseasonably cold temperatures and more than three feet of snow to portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada has The Salvation Southwest Division springing into action to bring relief and refuge to neighbors in need.

Salvation Army locations in the Arizona communities of Flagstaff, Prescott, Kingman, White Mountain, Globe and Sierra Vista are at the ready as emergency operation centers in their respective counties have been open. The Prescott Corps Community Center has opened as a warming center, and canteens of the Flagstaff and Bullhead City Corps and the White Mountain Outpost are on standby to be deployed, if needed.

At the request of the City of Farmington Fire Department, The Salvation Army in Farmington, New Mexico, has opened The Roof winter shelter as an emergency storm shelter through the weekend.

The City has been transitioning the winter shelter to a new facility in recent weeks, so services at The Roof’s current location – operated by The Salvation Army for the last 20 years – have been gradually phased out, but even though The Roof’s current location is to be closed just days from now, The Salvation Army is stepping up to the plate.

“We have been gathering blankets and collecting soup and anything else we can get our hands on to resupply The Roof and help our neighbors in need escape the cold this weekend,” said The Salvation Army Farmington Corps Officer Captain Darla Malone.

The Salvation Army Hospitality House in Tucson has enacted Operation Deep Freeze for nearly two dozen consecutive days. Operation Deep Freeze goes into effect when the temperature in Tucson drops to 35 degrees or below, or 40 degrees with precipitation, with the Hospitality House opening its doors for those seeking shelter from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Salvation Army Southern Nevada has joined with the City of Las Vegas to provide warming stations at its Homeless Services Campus. Additional overnight shelter spaces for single men and women have also been increased to a total of 236 in response to the crisis.