The Salvation Army Prepares for Hurricane Matthew
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
The Salvation Army Prepares for Hurricane Matthew
Haiti and Jamaica Recovering After Storm Touches Down; East Coast Leaning Forward
Wauwatosa, WI (October 4, 2016) The Salvation Army is mobilizing resources and personnel to assist with the international relief effort in Haiti and Jamaica, in response to Hurricane Matthew, a Category 4 storm that hit the coast of Haiti early Tuesday.
The Salvation Army has had a presence in Haiti since 1950 and currently operates schools, clinics, a hospital, feeding programs, children's homes and church-related activities spread across two major facilities in Port au Prince, and at other locations in the country. Jamaica was the first Caribbean nation The Salvation Army entered, bringing ministry, social services and relief efforts to Kingston in 1887. Over the past almost 130 years, those services have grown to include corps worship centers, feeding centers, children’s homes, a vocational training home for women, a men’s hostel, a senior citizens’ home, a residential school for the blind and visually impaired, kindergarten schools, daycare nursery centers, community centers, a medical clinic and an addiction rehabilitation center for men. Before the storm hit The Salvation Army in Kingston was serving about 200 people at its shelters.
Hurricane Matthew is expected to hit Florida on Thursday and move into the Carolinas by Friday afternoon. It is slow-moving, with sustained winds near 130mph.
Salvation Army units across South Florida are prepared and on stand-by ready to help residents as Hurricane Matthew approaches.
“Salvation Army canteens (mobile feeding kitchens) are stocked with water and supplies,” said Captain Enrique Azuaje, Area Commander for The Salvation Army of Miami-Dade.
Preparations are being made in North and South Carolina as well.
“Right now we are leaning forward without moving forward,” said Mike Patterson, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army of North and South Carolina. “Our canteens are on alert and being prepped for service as the track of Hurricane Matthew is monitored. We pray that our preparations will not be necessary, but are ready when called by our emergency management partners.”
During times of disaster, The Salvation Army of the Carolinas has 20 mobile feeding units ready for disaster response; each mobile feeding kitchen has the capacity to serve 1,500 meals per day.
Potentially catastrophic flash flooding and storm surges are expected, which will likely exacerbate the risk of typhoid, cholera and malaria.
The Salvation Army needs your help to support these Caribbean nations in the moments of and following this massive storm. Please donate to hurricane relief efforts here, or by going to salar.my/Matthew.
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About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. The Salvation Army tracks the level of need across the country with the Human Needs Index (Human NeedsIndex.org). Nationally, approximately 84 cents of every dollar raised is used to support programs and services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide.