• Philip Burn

The Salvation Army is Mobilizing Disaster Team as Hurricane Beryl Headed for Texas

Dallas, Texas (July 6, 2024) – Hurricane Beryl is on track to make landfall along the Texas coastline very early on Monday morning anywhere between Corpus Christi and Freeport. The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) team in Texas is actively mobilizing personnel and assets in preparation for likely response efforts along the Gulf Coast.

 

While the storm has currently been downgraded to a Tropical Storm, it is expected to strengthen back to hurricane status as it travels across the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, possibly making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane. Widespread flooding is the main concern associated with the storm, with forecast winds potentially reaching up to 70 mph on the coastline.

 

The Salvation Army has deployed an EDS staff member to the State Operations Center in Austin to coordinate response efforts with partners on the State Feeding Task Force. “The Salvation Army’s immediate efforts after the storm makes landfall will focus on feeding and emotional and spiritual care,” said Alvin Migues, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Texas. “We are blessed to work closely with several agencies and other NGOs during times of disaster response. We couldn’t do it alone and collaboration is key to the success of our efforts. A crucial partner of ours, the Southern Baptist disaster relief teams, are on standby to deploy a field kitchen if needed.”

 

An Incident Management Team has been identified to run The Salvation Army response operations and will stage in San Antonio on Sunday afternoon. Once the storm makes landfall, trained staff, volunteers, and base camp equipment will be relocated to the impacted area.

 

“We have already identified several strategic sites for potential operations in Harlingen, McAllen, Kingsville, Corpus Christi, Victoria, and Houston depending on the track of Beryl. Our final selected location will provide the best possible access to affected communities,” said Migues. “Mobile feeding units from San Antonio, New Braunfels, Victoria, Kerrville and Beeville have been activated, with a unit in Laredo remaining on standby.”

 

For the latest information please go to www.disaster.salvationarmy.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytx. To make a donation go to www.helpsalvationarmy.org.