The Salvation Army Responding to Hurricane Matthew
Resources from 13 states already mobilized for storm response
Salvation Army disaster units from Florida to North Carolina are mobilizing to respond to Hurricane Matthew, a powerful tropical cyclone, that has already caused widespread damage in the Caribbean and is now poised to cause extensive damage in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The Salvation Army is also activating resources from across the country to support the recovery effort; this includes personnel and equipment from the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. Additional resources from across the United States are on stand-by.
Disaster Response Overview
The Salvation Army Florida, Georgia, and North & South Carolina Divisions have set-up Incident Command teams at state and local levels. Four additional Incident Command teams have been recruited and two of these teams – from Texas and Oklahoma – will deploy to Florida and Georgia respectively.
The Salvation Army has 75 mobile feeding units, capable of producing 1,500 meals per day, are stationed in states threatened by Hurricane Matthew. These include 32 units in Florida, 22 units in Georgia, and 20 canteens in the North & South Carolina Division. In addition, The Salvation Army has already activated the following additional units from other divisions:
- Three Kentucky & Tennessee divisional canteens have been deployed to Greenville, SC
- Three Maryland & West Virginia divisional canteens have been deployed to Raleigh, NC
- Six Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi divisional canteens have been deployed to Florida
- Ten Texas divisional canteens have been requested to deploy to a temporary staging area in Tallahassee
- Seven National Capital & Virginia divisional canteens are on standby.
Two field kitchens, capable of producing 15,000 per day are stationed in Florida. A third field kitchen from Texas is being deployed to the temporary staging area in Tallahassee. Two additional field kitchens, located in Texas and Mississippi, are on-stand-by.
The Salvation Army has deployed two satellite communications units in support of disaster operations; one unit is deploying to Florida and the second is stationed in North Carolina.
Salvation Army liaisons are being dispatched to state emergency operations centers in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina and the FEMA Regional Response Coordination Center in Atlanta. The Salvation Army is also staffing numerous county emergency operations centers in impacted states.
Florida Division
The Salvation Army Florida Division is preparing to serve approximately 100,000 meals by Saturday. The division is currently providing support to emergency workers and/or evacuation centers in numerous counties, including Brevard, Hillsborough, St. Lucy, St. John and Volusia counties. Four tactical logistics packages are on stand-by for deployment after Hurricane Matthew makes landfall; these units will serve as supply hubs for groups of Salvation Army mobile feeding units. All Florida disaster personnel and equipment from Key West to Pensacola are being mobilized to respond to Hurricane Matthew.
Georgia Division
The Salvation Army Georgia Division is currently supporting evacuation activities in the state and repositioning personnel and mobile feeding units for post-storm relief operations. Canteen strike teams have been assigned to deploy to Savannah, Brunswick, and St. Mary’s, GA. The Salvation Army of Savannah is currently providing food service at the Chatham County EOC and preparing to support critical workforce shelters within the county. Two Salvation Army canteens will be dispatched to Augusta, GA, to support evacuation shelters there. The Salvation Army of Dublin, GA, is also providing food for local shelters.
North & South Carolina Division
The Salvation Army of North and South Carolina is providing mass care services in South Carolina ahead of Hurricane Matthew. Five canteens and three Salvation Army corps without a canteen from North and South Carolina are on the ground providing mass feeding support to Emergency Operations Centers in the following areas: Charleston County, Williamsburg County, Berkeley County, Dorchester County, Orangeburg County, Beaufort County, and Georgetown County. In addition, The Salvation Army is providing mass feeding to support evacuation operations at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, SC, and The Salvation Army of the Midlands is providing meals for the Richland County and Lexington County Sheriff Departments along with SC Highway Patrol who are staffing the traffic control points at I-26 and I-77.
How People Can Help
The best way to help after a disaster is to make a financial donation to the charity of your choice. Cash is flexible, can be used immediately in response to a crisis, and allows disaster relief organizations to purchase exactly what is needed, when it’s needed. Cash gives relief organizations the means to procure supplies near the affected area, which cuts down on transportation time and cost. Monetary contributions also support local economies and ensure that businesses can operate when relief supplies diminish.
It’s easy to support The Salvation Army’s disaster relief program:
- Donate Online: http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/hurricane_matthew
- Donate By Mail: The Salvation Army PO BOX 1959 Atlanta, GA 30301 Please designate 'Hurricane Matthew' on all checks.
- Donate By Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769)
- Donate By Text: Text STORM to 51555 to receive a donation link for easy mobile giving