• Bradley Rowland

The Salvation Army Expands Hurricane Ida Relief

Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday, August 29, and has left behind additional challenges. The death toll is continuing to rise, millions of Americans are still without power, and a shortage of food and water has left multitudes in need of immediate assistance. In response to this disaster, The Salvation Army is on the front lines addressing needs now.

The Salvation Army is expanding their massive operation to meet immediate need through feeding, sheltering, emotional and spiritual care, and other services for Hurricane Ida survivors and first responders as widespread power outages and flooding affect Louisiana and Mississippi. Trained emergency response teams are already on the ground in Louisiana, providing meals, water, supplies, and care, with additional canteens, supplies, and volunteers on the way.

“Large parts of Louisiana have been left devasted by the hurricane,” said Jeff Jellets, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army’s Southern Territory. “Many are experiencing compounding issues. It is crucial for The Salvation Army to continue our operation of providing relief to as many people as possible. We encourage all Americans to donate what they can to support response efforts so we can continue to provide assistance.”

Disaster Preparedness Overview (September 1, 2021 | As of 1 p.m. ET)

• So far, The Salvation Army has provided:
  • 29,352 meals
  • 21,361 drinks
  • 12,020 snacks
  • Emotional and spiritual care to 965 people

• As of Sept. 1, 38 mobile feeding units are now committed to Hurricane Ida relief operations and are serving food, drinks, supplies, and emotional and spiritual care to survivors and first responders.
  • Each mobile feeding unit can serve 500 to 1,500 meals per day.
  • Eight feeding locations within the city of New Orleans have been identified; The Salvation Army will provide food and drinks at these locations today.
  • Additional feeding locations have been established in Albany, Baton Rouge, Hammond, Houma, and Thibodaux and roaming feeding trucks are serving in LaPlace, Napoleonville, and Raceland.
• The Salvation Army currently has 133 disaster workers assigned to Hurricane Ida relief, who have already given over 4,622 hours of service.
• Staging centers for relief supplies and assets have been established in Beaumont, TX and Jackson, MS
• Two incident management teams with personnel drawn from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) are running relief operations from Incident Command Posts in New Orleans and Gonzales.
• The Salvation Army is working in partnership with the Southern Baptists who will be deploying three field kitchens with the capacity to serve 30,000 meals
• Salvation Army disaster personnel are collaborating with federal, state, and local emergency management agencies and other partners to respond to and monitor potential impacts and evolve response efforts as needed.

For more information on The Salvation Army’s continued response, visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org. To make a financial gift and support Hurricane Ida relief:

• Visit helpsalvationarmy.org
• Call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
• Text GIVE to 52000 to donate $10 automatically through your cell phone bill