Massachusetts Salvation Army Assists Residents in Irene's Wake

Greenfield, MA  (August 30, 2011) – Salvation Army mobile teams responded to areas hardest hit by Hurricane Irene as residents began the long processes of damage assessment, pumping out flood waters, draining basements and repairing storm damage. 

The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Response Department is focusing on the communities inundated with flood waters from the Deerfield, Green and other nearby streams and rivers. Salvation Army mobile response workers are offering aid in Greenfield, Turner’s Falls, Shelburne Falls, Charlemont, Montague, Bernardston, Northfield and other Mohawk Trail communities.

Two mobile canteens will be available in Franklin County during the coming days to respond as requested by state emergency management officials. Previously, the Salvation Army had been supplying food, water and other supplies to two local emergency shelters and first responders in the field.

“We have our mobile canteens going site-to-site doing feeding and handing out cleanup kits,” said Greenfield Corps Captain Daniel Brunelle. “We’re investigating the low-lying areas and offering support, distributing food and cleanup kits where needed.”

The Emergency Disaster Service Department has 400 cleanup kits available in the affected region for residents. Cleanup kits include, bleach, disinfectant and other necessary cleaning supplies to counteract the growth of mold and harmful bacteria brought into homes by flood waters.

In one Greenfield neighborhood alone, Salvation Army personnel came upon 10 homes that were engulfed by flood waters. Six of the houses already had been condemned, while the other four were inhabitable.

During emergencies, the Massachusetts Salvation Army provides food, drinks, spiritual care and emotional support to first responders and community members. Over the last 12 months, the Massachusetts Division responded to more than 160 emergencies across the Commonwealth, including the devastating Springfield tornado.

Monetary donations are the most critical need as supplies and personnel are mobilized.

• Donors are encouraged to give onlineat www.SalvationArmyUSA.orgor by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769).
• You can also text the word “STORM” to 80888 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word “Yes.”*

Your donations make a real difference.

• A $10 donation feeds a disaster survivor for one day.
• A $30 donation provides one food box, containing staple foods for a family of four, or one household cleanup kit, containing brooms, mops, buckets and other cleaning supplies
• A $100 donation can serve snacks and drinks for 125 survivors and emergency personnel at the scene of a disaster
• A $250 donation can provide one hot meal to 100 people or keep a hydration station operational for 24 hours
• A $500 donation keeps a Salvation Army canteen (mobile feeding unit) fully operational for one day

About The Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. The Massachusetts Division operates 44 centers across the state, providing the broadest array of social services that range from serving food to 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. For more information, go to www.salvationarmy-ma.org.

CONTACT: Dan Rosenfeld, Director of Communications, 339-502-5852