Salvation Army in Texas Prepared for Effects of Hurricane Patricia

Dallas, Texas (October 23, 2015) – As Hurricane Patricia prepares to make landfall on the Pacific coast of Mexico, The Salvation Army in Texas has placed all Emergency Disaster units and staff on standby throughout the state.

Many areas of Central and West Texas experienced heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday and several additional inches are forecast over the weekend. This comes at the end of a week where multiple disaster teams have been active in response to numerous wild fires around the state including the Hidden Pines Fire in Bastrop Texas which was devastated 4 years ago by fires that destroyed over 2000 homes.

In anticipation of the widespread rain and possible flooding as a result of convergent weather systems, including a strong upper level low and Hurricane Patricia making landfall in Mexico, The Salvation Army Texas Division placed all disaster units on stand-by Thursday morning. This includes 36 mobile canteens, 2 field kitchens, and specialized disaster units including a laundry unit and mobile communications unit. Bulk supplies of clean up kits, hygiene kits and bottled water are staged for immediate needs.

Alvin Migues, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Texas, said, “We are collaborating with emergency management groups at local, county and state levels in order to be prepared should relief efforts be necessary. Calls for assistance following local flash flooding have already been answered by a number of Salvation Army locations on Friday, and we are ready to serve wherever we are needed.”

Emergency Disaster Services staff continues to monitor weather conditions in anticipation of additional rain and the threat of flash flooding that will affect locations in Texas some having already received as much as 5” of rain in the last 24 hours.

To make a donation to support the ongoing work of The Salvation Army please call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or go to www.salvationarmytexas.org

If you are interested in learning more about The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) in Texas, or to become a local disaster volunteer, please visit: www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

For the most up-to-date emergency disaster services news from The Salvation Army in Texas, please visit: www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and follow latest updates on Twitter @SalArmyTXEDS and Facebook at www.facebook.com/SalArmyTXEDS.

About The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services:

“The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian church. Its message is based on the Bible. Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.” While every disaster is unique and creates its own special needs, the core of The Salvation Army's disaster program consists of several basic services. And while these services address many of the typical needs of a disaster survivor, Salvation Army disaster relief is also flexible. Our services are adapted to the specific needs of individuals and communities and scalable according to the magnitude of the disaster.

            -30-
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 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 spent is used to carry out those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
February 5, 2010