Alexandria, VA (March 1, 2012) – The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams are providing food, beverage and spiritual support to survivors and first responders in impacted areas following the severe weather and tornadoes that passed through the Midwest on February 29. In addition to providing hands-on relief for communities in need, the EDS teams are collaborating with Emergency Management groups at the local, county and state levels to help.
Following the tornadoes and severe weather, which are responsible for the deaths of at least 12 people, The Salvation Army activated their EDS response teams and equipment in five states, including Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois and Tennessee. The Army’s response units are operating in some of the hardest-hit areas:
• Harveyville, KS: A team of EDS volunteers from Topeka provided drinks, meals and snacks to more than 300 people on Wednesday, including first responders, survivors and clean-up crews, through a mobile feeding kitchen. The Salvation Army will continue mass feeding operations as clean-up efforts begin in earnest, and it is also providing emotional and spiritual care services to those in need.
• Branson, MO: A Salvation Army canteen is providing meals, snacks and drinks to first responders, survivors and clean-up crews, along with emotional and spiritual care to anyone in need. The Salvation Army will continue to collaborate with other area organizations and government agencies as the response efforts continue.
• Kimberling City, MO: A Salvation Army canteen and team are providing meals, snacks and drinks as well as emotional and spiritual care to community members in need.
• Harrisburg, IL: Two Salvation Army canteens are in the area to assist. One canteen is set up at the Walmart located on 710 S. Commercial.
• Cumberland County, TN: A canteen and trained crew of volunteers are on site to serve survivors and first responders in the area with meals, snacks and beverages.
Mobile feeding units in Louisville, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville are also on stand-by and ready to respond if needed; these units are able to provide thousands of meals per day. Additionally, response personnel are standing by in Richmond and Bardstown, Kentucky.
Monetary donations to go directly toward relief efforts can be made online at www.SalvationArmyUSA.org, or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. For more information on The Salvation Army’s continued response, please visit http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/, www.facebook.com/salvationarmyusa or www.twitter.com/salvationarmyus.
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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.