Trained disaster professionals converge on South Texas in historic beginning of Atlantic hurricane season
ALEXANDRIA, Va., July 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams are coordinating mass feeding operations as Hurricane Beryl continues to impact the southern coast of Texas after making landfall as a Category I hurricane the morning of July 8. As the earliest recorded Category V hurricane ever, trained disaster relief personnel were ready to respond to this historic and potentially catastrophic storm. The Salvation Army has activated mobile feeding units in and around Houston and Galveston to meet the needs of the communities impacted by wide-scale flooding and power outages.
“The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned as the only national social service organization ready to meet human needs in almost every ZIP code in the country,” said Commissioner Kenneth G. Hodder, national commander of The Salvation Army. “With the support of generous Americans everywhere, we will be able to continue offering the services, resources, and hope for as long as they are needed during this critical time.”
The Salvation Army is also collaborating with federal, state, and local emergency management agencies to monitor ongoing impacts and adapt response efforts as needed.
“Despite Hurricane Beryl’s arrival kick-starting a potentially unprecedented and prolonged hurricane season, The Salvation Army was prepared to serve,” said Jeff Jellets, EDS director for The Salvation Army’s Southern Territory. “Thanks to investments made to enhance disaster preparedness and response efforts, our territorial EDS professionals are prepared to serve more than 15,000 meals per day alongside emotional and spiritual care and other essential services.”
The Salvation Army’s active services:
Fifteen Salvation Army mobile feeding units and trained disaster teams from San Antonio, TX, New Braunfels, TX, Victoria, TX, Kerrville, TX, Granbury, TX, Bryan/College Station, TX, Conroe, TX, Freeport, TX, Jackson, MS, Mobile, AL, Gulfport, MS, Birmingham, AL, and Baton Rouge, LA have been deployed to Houston and the impacted area.
Food distributed by mobile feeding units is being supplied by partners like Southern Baptist Disaster Relief.
Feeding operations began Tuesday in the following locations:
Spring Branch, Community Health Center, 8575 Pitner Road, Houston
Campanile Justice Park, 39 Justice Park Drive, Houston
Shady Village Manufactured Homes and Wichita Mobile Home Park, 2732 Cherry Brook Lane, Houston
Independence Hall Apartments, 6 Burress St., Houston
Brazoria County – Angleton High School, 1 Campus Drive, Angleton, 77515, Holiday Lakes Government Office, 195 N. Texas Ave., Holiday Lakes and roaming in Freeport, Lake Jackson and West Columbia
Matagorda County – Markham Elementary, 200 Sixth St., Palacios Elementary, 1001 Fifth St., Palacios, Bay Breeze Apartments, 800 Ave. F, Bay City and Matagorda Elementary, 717 Wightman St., Matagorda
Wharton County – Wharton Civic Center, 1924 N. Fulton St., Wharton and Boling Lago High School, 407 Atlantic Ave., Boling-Iago
Brazoria County – Angleton High School, 1 Campus Drive, Angleton, 77515 and Holiday Lakes Government Office, 195 N. Texas Ave., Holiday Lakes, and roaming in West Columbia
So far, the Salvation Army has served:
14,158 meals and 1,266 meal boxes
12,760 drinks
4,598 snacks
1,711 Emotional and Spiritual Care contacts
The best way to support EDS efforts in Texas is by making a financial contribution, which allows The Salvation Army to meet immediate and long-term needs. Those who are able to donate can do so through a variety of convenient methods:
Online: helpsalvationarmy.org
Phone: 1-800-SAL-ARMY
Venmo: @SalvationArmyUSA and use the keywords Hurricane Beryl, Hurricane, or Beryl
To learn more about The Salvation Army’s disaster relief efforts, click here.
A media kit with photos and other useful materials can be found here.
For media inquiries, please email [email protected].
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army annually helps nearly 24 million people in America overcome poverty, addiction, and economic hardships through a range of social services. By providing food for the hungry, emergency relief for disaster survivors, shelter for the homeless, and rehabilitation services for people in need. The Salvation Army is doing the most good at 7,000 centers of operation around the country. During times of disaster, 100% of designated donations to The Salvation Army are used for immediate response and long-term efforts. In 2021, The Salvation Army was ranked No. 2 on the list of “America’s Favorite Charities” by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. For more information, visit SalvationArmyUSA.org. Follow us on X @SalvationArmyUS and #DoingTheMostGood.
Media ContactBishop Wash, Director, PR
Lerma Agency
972-854-1586
SOURCE The Salvation Army
