Salvation Army Transitions From Emergency Response to Recovery in Louisiana
Jon Kalahar | jon.kalahar@uss.salvationarmy.org
Baton Rouge, LA — As citizens of the Greater Baton Rouge area continue moving forward with the cleanup and rebuilding of their lives, The Salvation Army is transitioning from disaster relief and response toward long term recovery. The recovery process will be a long and arduous one for those who have lost so much, and The Salvation Army will continue to assist as the needs continue to shift.
Captain Brett Meredith shares, “As we have seen the community begin to recover from the devastating flood event in August, we will be redirecting our efforts from immediate needs towards addressing the long term recovery needs within the community.”
As part of the transition, mobile feeding units will be roving communities through Sunday, September 25. The Salvation Army Emergency Social Services Center at Cortana Mall will continue to provide emotional and spiritual care and social services daily from 10am-3pm through September 30 when we will begin the transition to implementing the Long Term Recovery Plan including the Christmas Assistance Program.
The Baton Rouge Corps lost nine of its ten buildings in the area totaling nearly 300 thousand square feet of damage due to floodwaters. Cortana Mall will be the Corps’ home for the coming months.
“We use this facility to house our Angel Tree operations, so with Christmas only months away, the Cortana Mall was a logical choice for our temporary home,” said Captain Meredith.
To date, 2,139 volunteers have served 15,178 volunteer hours with The Salvation Army to assist 72,868 with emergency social services and 192,603 hot meals in the response to the historic flooding in Louisiana. Together, with the help of our volunteers, we will continue to serve the community as long as there is a need.
The Salvation Army is still accepting donations from across the country. For more information, go to http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/.
About The Salvation ArmyThe 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.