The Salvation Army Prepared for Hurricane Laura in Louisiana

Lake Charles, LA (August 26, 2020) —  Trained Salvation Army staff and volunteers are prepared to move into Southwest Louisiana in response to Hurricane Laura, which is currently projected to strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane making landfall near the Texas/Louisiana border overnight or early Thursday morning. An Incident Command Team has been activated to operate out of Lake Charles, where The Salvation Army Lake Charles Corps has prepared for the Calcasieu Parish mandatory evacuation. The Salvation Army Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division has positioned 14 mobile feeding units, which can produce a combined total of about 10,000 meals per day, on standby and ready to serve affected areas throughout Louisiana.

"The Salvation Army of Lake Charles is prepared for Hurricane Laura," stated Lieutenant Thomas Marion, Lake Charles Salvation Army Corps Officer. "All of our buildings are secured, and we are ready to serve by making the necessary preparations with staging emergency service vehicles and working with local authorities," Lieutenant Marion added. 

As natural disasters can increase mental stress, The Salvation Army’s Emotional & Spiritual Care HOPEline remains available.  Anyone needing a caring listener – whether because of natural disaster, COVID-19, or the stress of life in general – can call 844-458-HOPE (4673) for support. HOPEline hours are 8 AM to 11 PM CDT, 7 days a week. For the latest emergency disaster services news from The Salvation Army, follow the social feed on Twitter at @salarmyeds or visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org. To donate to The Salvation Army’s disaster relief efforts, visit HelpSalvationArmy.org.