DALLAS, TX (May 16, 2013) -- The Salvation Army went into urgent action last night with volunteer disaster teams on site in Hood County to provide services in the wake of the devastating tornadoes. Three disaster canteens (mobile kitchens) from the Dallas Fort Worth area were deployed and have been providing refreshment, hydration and spiritual and emotional care to survivors and first responders.
Today, the organization has ramped up its services. A mobile disaster kitchen from Dallas will serve first responders at the Incident Command Center in Granbury. We expect to continue this service for at least three days or longer, to be determined by the local Emergency Management Office. A second mobile disaster kitchen has been in place at the Emergency Operations Center in Cleburne located at 810 Kilpatrick Street. The local Emergency Manager requested that this unit move to the Cleburne Conference Center, 1501 Henderson Street, at 10:00 AM to serve meals for up to 125 people today. This service may continue until 7:00 PM or longer if needed.
Mobile disaster kitchens from Plano, Williamson County, and Waco are on standby for service in Granbury and Cleburne. At this time, additional units may not be deployed until residents are allowed back into the disaster area. Many residents will remain evacuated while emergency crews work to restore power and remove debris from the worst affected communities. Once residents return to their homes, it is anticipated that The Salvation Army will begin distributing household cleaning kits to help people with the emotionally draining process of clean up and recovery.
Financial donations can be made in the following ways to support The Salvation Army’s response to the North Texas tornadoes:
• MAIL – please send checks to The Salvation Army, PO Box 36607, Dallas, TX 75235
• PHONE at 1-800-SAL-ARMY
• ONLINE at www.salvationarmytexas.org
For more information about The Salvation Army’s disaster response effort, please go to www.Facebook.com/SalvationArmyTexas, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org, or www.salvationarmytexas.org.
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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.