Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) teams moved into Southeast Texas after Hurricane Laura blew northwards on a course close to the Texas/Louisiana border on Thursday morning. Much of the area was left without power and damage assessment is underway in affected communities.
In Walker County, Texas, The Salvation Army began providing meals on Tuesday, August 25, at four evacuation shelters housing more than 380 individuals. Residents under mandatory evacuation orders were transported to the shelters in Huntsville by Monday evening. Working closely with local emergency management staff, The Salvation Army teams from Conroe and Austin have been preparing and delivering three meals each day to the shelters. Evacuation shelters are anticipated to remain open until power can be restored and transportation arranged back to the respective cities.
Staging at The Salvation Army disaster warehouse in Beaumont, nine full-size mobile kitchens and two rapid response vehicles will begin feeding operations on Friday morning. “Five mobile kitchens from the Texas Division will head to Lake Charles, Louisiana, to support the response efforts of the Alabama/Louisiana/Mississippi Division after that community bore the brunt of the hurricane,” said Alvin Migues, Director of Emergency Disaster Services for The Salvation Army in Texas. “The additional six units will serve at fixed locations in Orange County, Bridge City, and Port Arthur. Each mobile kitchen will be stocked with 2,000 meals and our trained staff will continue to monitor the need in communities throughout the area.”
Partnerships are key to any disaster response effort and The Salvation Army is privileged to work with the Southern Baptist Texas Convention who will set up a field kitchen in Beaumont on Friday. The kitchen has the capacity to produce 10,000 meals each day, and The Salvation Army is planning to utilize 25,000 meals over the span of five days.
“In addition to serving as the staging point for the Texas Division disaster teams, the Beaumont warehouse will be the logistics hub for donated goods and supplies to be distributed to the three Salvation Army divisions impacted by the storm,” said Migues. “We are pleased to have the capacity in Beaumont to assist our neighbors in Louisiana and beyond.”
The best way to support the disaster work of The Salvation Army by making a financial donation at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY. For the latest information please go to www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org and watch for regular updates on our social media pages at www.facebook.com/salvationarmytexas/ and www.twitter.com/salarmytx.
