The Salvation Army across Carolinas Prepares for Hurricane Irene

Charlotte, NC (August 24, 2011) – The North and South Carolina division of The Salvation Army has placed its Emergency Disaster Services (“EDS”) team on standby as Hurricane Irene  approaches the sensitive Carolina coasts.  Experts say Hurricane Irene will likely strike the coasts of the Carolinas on Saturday with strong outer bands as a Category 3 storm, with rain, flooding, wind, and storm surge likely.

The Salvation Army has established an Incident Management Team to organize and oversee preparations and any resulting response and recovery.  This team will assemble on Thursday, August 25 at The Salvation Army’s Carolina headquarters in Charlotte, NC.  It is anticipated the Incident Management Team would relocate to the NC coast following the impact of Hurricane Irene, where response and recovery efforts would be coordinated.

Currently, The Salvation Army has 30 mobile kitchen feeding canteens throughout North and South Carolina.  16 mobile feeding kitchen canteens, along and east of the I-95 corridor, have been placed on standby status so the units are stocked and ready to provide materials, emotional, and spiritual assistance to survivors.  Mobile kitchen canteen units are capable of serving approximately 1,500 meals per day.  At maximum deployment, Salvation Army mobile kitchen feeding canteens within North and South Carolina can feed in excess of 45,000 meals per day and are designed for 72 hours of sustained service before needing additional resources. 

Major Willis Howell, Divisional Commander for The Salvation Army across North and South Caroline, states “Our personnel and resources are assembled, organized, and prepared to respond to Hurricane Irene, wherever she may strike on the Carolina coast.  Salvation Army teams are collaborating with emergency management officials in NC, SC, and local counties to ensure preparedness.  We’ve seen time and time again that the spirit of the Carolinas is strong, neighbors support neighbors, and we will stand together before, during and as Hurricane Irene passes.” 

Once damage reports have been received and local needs have been determined, EDS teams will serve throughout the impacted region.  In the short-term aftermath of the storm, Salvation Army officers and staff will focus primarily on immediate needs providing food, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care to impacted individuals and families.

For the latest emergency disaster services news, please visit www.salvationarmycarolinas.org, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and follow the EDS team on Twitter @SalArmyEDS.  Interested parties may also visit http://www.facebook.com/salvationarmycarolinas, and follow http://www.twitter.com/tsacarolinas.

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About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.