Emotional and Spiritual Care in the Wake of the West Virginia Floods
Shelley Henderson | shelley.henderson@uss.salvationarmy.org
Charleston, W.V. (July 3, 2016)—Today teams of Emotional and Spiritual Care (ESC) givers are on the ground throughout central and southeast West Virginia, providing hope and prayer to disaster survivors and first responders.
Emotional and Spiritual Care teams are made up of Salvation Army officers, employees, and volunteers who are specially trained to provide effective emotional and spiritual care to meet the disaster-related needs of disaster responders and affected families and individuals.
So far, The Salvation Army has provided emotional and spiritual care to more than 500 flood survivors and first responders.
Yesterday we met Frank while we were working in the community. Frank is the fourth generation to live on his family’s land. His house was built years ago by his great-grandfather. He had heard family stories of floods in the late 1800’s, but nothing like the flood of June 2016.
“When the water came up, I picked up my dog and we went upstairs. The next morning I went downstairs and found everything was gone. Even the photos of my wife. She just died. I lost all of her memories this week. I'm thankful we made it out alive but I miss my wife and I don't have anything to remember her by.”
The Salvation Army is working with Frank and hundreds of other individuals who were impacted by the floodwaters that swept through West Virginia last week. Our job is to feed survivor’s bellies and soothe their hearts with the promising word of God’s love.
The Salvation Army's response has just begun. In the days, weeks, and months ahead, we will be out in the community, lending a helping hand and a listening ear. We can do this because you support us. Thank you from The Salvation Army and on behalf of the many survivors we are serving.
You can help by your financial gifts to support Salvation Army disaster relief efforts. 100% of donations go directly to the disaster.
• By phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
• Online: disaster.salvationarmyusa.org
• By mail: Send your gift to The Salvation Army Disaster Relief PO BOX 1490 Clarksburg, WV 26302-1490 or to your local Salvation Army unit. Please make checks payable to "The Salvation Army" and clearly mark your gift “June 2016 West Virginia Floods”.
• By Text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile giving
The Salvation Army annually helps more than 30 million Americans overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, rehabilitation for those suffering from drug and alcohol abuse, and clothing and shelter for people in need, The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,600 centers of operation around the country. In the first-ever listing of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, The Salvation Army ranked as the country’s largest privately funded, direct-service nonprofit. For more information, visit www.SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on Twitter @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.