The Salvation Army is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Earl by providing evacuee shelters. Read more about the efforts on our National blog: http://blog.salvationarmyeds.org/?s=hurricane+earl+carolina&x=0&y=0

Here is a recap of the work The Salvation Army has been doing since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast five years ago this month.

Hurricane Katrina: Five Years On

When: Saturday, April 24, 2010. Teams are being recruited for the following shifts:
8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Where: The event will be held at The Cow Palace at 2600 Geneva Ave, Exhibit Building #2, in Daly City, California. Click here for a map to the Cow Palace

How you can help: Recruit a team of 12 people (age 10 and older, please) and sign up your team (be sure to let us know the names of the folks you’ve recruited to your team when you sign-up)! If you aren’t able to recruit a team of 12, don’t panic; you can sign-up as an individual. We’ll fit you in to another team and give you a job anyway! We need your help!

To sign-up or to learn more about this event, visit SFSalvationArmy.org. You can also email us at info@tsamonterey.com or give us a call at 831-899-4911.

Remember, 100% of all donations to The Salvation Army’s Chile and Haiti relief fund will go directly to efforts on the ground in Chile and Haiti, respectively.

Salvation Army Provides Immediate Response to Chile Earthquake

On-the-ground personnel provide support and urgently needed supplies

(February 27, 2010) – In the waking hours of a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile, Salvation Army emergency services were immediately mobilized to provide support and supplies to the effected and displaced Chileans. Salvation Army’s International Headquarters has already pledged financial assistance to assist with these efforts.

Currently, The Salvation Army in Chile is already distributing food, water, first aid kits, emergency packets, blankets, candles and other urgently required supplies. The Salvation Army mobile canteen is one of the key relief vehicles on site. In addition to financial assistance for the initial relief response, assistance coordinated by The Salvation Army’s International Headquarters Emergency Team will provide assistance in coordinating ongoing relief in the medium and long term.

Water, gas and electricity have been cut off in affected areas and will stay disconnected until emergency crews can assess the damage and prioritize immediate needs.

“People have flocked to the streets as numerous aftershocks continue to pummel the country, severely affecting older buildings in the more historical areas of larger cities,” said Lt. Col. F. Bradford Bailey, Chief Secretary for The Salvation Army in South America.

The Colonel adds communication with Salvation Army centers throughout the country has been extremely difficult, as all phone lines (mobile and landlines) have been disrupted.

To assist in this effort, the public may contribute to The Salvation Army’s “Chile Earthquake” fund.  Donors may give via http://www.salvationarmy.org and designate donations as “Chile Earthquake” on the online form.  Also, donors can give by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY and through the mail at: The Salvation Army, Chile Disaster Relief, PO Box 80066, Prescott, AZ. 86304-8066 with designation “Chile Earthquake.”

The Salvation Army has had a presence in Chile since 1909 and operates schools, day-care centers, senior housing, children’s and foster youth homes, churches and provides a myriad of other services to the people of Chile.

Haiti Disaster Relief 60 sec PSA from Communications Bureau on Vimeo.

More ways to donate:

Give Online
www.SalvationArmyUSA.org. Please note that there are now two different links available on the website to donate. This is due to the tremendous outpouring of support in recent days — our online system was overwhelmed and slow to respond at times. We’ve activated a second donation system to accommodate this increase in website traffic. If any lengthy delays are experienced, its advised that donors try again with the “option 2″ link.

Give via Text Message
Through your cell phone, just text “Haiti” to 52000 and $10 will be donated directly to The Salvation Army World Service Office. Once you have submitted your text, you will receive a confirmation text message — be sure to confirm your donation by replying “yes” to this follow-up message.

Give by Phone
1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)

Give by Mail/Check**
The Salvation Army
Attn: Haiti Disaster Relief
PO Box 80066
Prescott, AZ 86304-8066
**Designate checks/money orders to “Haiti Earthquake”

Donations of Material Goods
Donations of materials goods are not being requested at this stage in the relief effort. The collection, sorting, shipping, and distribution of clothing, food, water, etc., is not cost-effective and is impractical in a disaster zone where air travel has been severely limited and many of the roads blocked by earthquake damage. We appreciate your understanding.

Volunteers
We are currently compiling an “on-call” list of willing/able volunteers so when The Salvation Army’s Western Territory is called upon for assistance, we’ll be ready. Please sign-up with our Emergency Disaster Services program by creating an account at http://disaster.salvationarmyusa.org/volunteer.

Updates on The Salvation Army’s efforts in Haiti: http://blog.salvationarmyusa.org/

Via The Salvation Army USA’s blog:

For those following the tragic events in Haiti, watch the following MSNBC interview with the Salvation Army’s Robert Poff who serves as Director of Disaster Services in Haiti and is involved in the relief effort firsthand:

The Salvation Army’s Bob Poff Breaks Down in Tears While Describing the Scene of the Devastating Earthquake in Haiti to MSNBC’s Tamron Hall

Flickr Photo Stream

Major Busroe Interview with MSNBC from Communications Bureau on Vimeo.

Salvation Army personnel throughout the USA Gulf Coast are mobilizing to respond to tropical storm Gustav, which is expected to develop into a serious category three hurricane at the beginning of September.

Salvation Army units in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have 100 mobile feeding units and three fully-equipped 54-foot field kitchens ready for immediate response. In addition, The Salvation Army is prepared to supplement these units with 70 canteens from inland states, as was necessary in response to hurricane Katrina. In total, The Salvation Army is prepared to provide a minimum of 560,000 meals a day, as necessary.

Thousands of trained emergency disaster services (EDS) personnel are on-call over what is a holiday weekend in the United States, as The Salvation Army coordinates response plans with state and federal emergency operations centres and other social service organizations. EDS personnel are prepared to help evacuate the homeless and provide for those who have no other means of support.

The Salvation Army will also provide clean-up kits, drinking water, hygiene kits, shower units and first-aid supplies, as well as emotional and spiritual care. The Salvation Army’s extensive network of volunteer ham-radio operators, SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network), will help maintain communications in case mobile phones and land lines are knocked out, and will provide missing persons support.

The Salvation Army encourages all residents of areas in Gustav’s path to prepare an emergency supply kit, an evacuation plan and remain alert to all warnings and evacuation orders. Disaster response professionals recommend having a three to five day supply of food and water for each individual family member, as well as flashlights, medication, and battery powered radio.

‘It is imperative that residents of New Orleans and the central Gulf Coast region heed all warnings and orders associated with tropical storm Gustav, regardless of its path,’ said Captain Ethan Frizzell, Area Commander for The Salvation Army in New Orleans. ‘It is important that each of us prepares now for Gustav.’

People who want to help those in the USA affected by tropical storm Gustav can learn more at The Salvation Army’s US National web site (www.salvationarmyusa.org). The Salvation Army in the United States is currently not accepting donations of clothing and furniture for storm victims, but is asking for financial support for its operations. Contributions may be made on-line using a major credit card at our secure web site (https://secure.salvationarmy.org). Donations should be marked ‘USA Gustav Disaster Relief‘.

The Salvation Army continues to provide relief and support to those in need in San Diego County and other impacted regions.

Among other efforts, the Army has opened a firestorm assistance center in El Centro, CA to help meet the needs of evacuees from San Diego County. It also continued to mobilize nine canteens, and has six others on call.

The canteens have fed more than 46,000 meals and snacks as well 48,000 drinks to individuals impacted by the disaster, including thousands at Qualcomm stadium. The Army has also provided personal care kits, cots, cups and other materials, as well as emotional and spiritual care.

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