Disaster Relief
Did you know The Salvation Army offers services to disaster victims and rescue workers around the world and in our own back yards?
When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005, Salvation Army units were first on the scene to offer hot meals, blankets, and financial assistance. The Salvation Army in Columbia helped to sponsor a group of University of South Carolina volunteers who traveled to Biloxi, Mississippi to begin rebuilding houses.
More recently, following the disastrous bridge collapse in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Salvation Army canteens were on hand for rescue workers. Mobile canteens helped to distribute meals to rescue workers along the river. Among the many disaster services The Salvation Army provides are:
Food Services
The Salvation Army provides hot meals, snacks, and drinks to disaster victims and emergency workers. The food may be served at a shelter or from one of the Army’s fleet of mobile kitchens also known as “canteens.” The canteens with the red Salvation Army shield were a sad but familiar site for rescue workers in New York at the World Trade Center following September 11, 2001.
In September 2009, two Salvation Army representatives from the Columbia Command deployed to the Atlanta area with the canteen to assist in the flood relief efforts. They joined dozens of Salvation Army responders from Lawrenceville, Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Greenville.
Emergency Assistance
The Salvation Army provides direct financial assistance to disaster victims through a system of trained caseworkers. In the early phases of a disaster event, emergency financial assistance is focused on victims’ essential needs: food, clothing, shelter, and medical services.
The Salvation Army responded quickly to the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti in early 2010 with food, water and medical treatment.
The public can help us most right now by making a financial gift that gives us the purchasing power we need to care for disaster survivors. Financial donations can be made by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or by visiting us on the web at www.salvationarmyusa.org; or people can mail checks to The Salvation Army World Service Office, International Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 630728, Baltimore, MD 21263-0728.
Gifts of in-kind materials are always needed by The Salvation Army Family Store to support the work in our local community. If you wish to donate to the store, please call 803-748-9964. Please keep in mind that acceptance of material goods for "disaster survivors only" is not possible, as the logistics and added expense for transportation of these items is not practical.
Emotional and Spiritual Care
For persons coping with disaster, spiritual needs may be as great as the needs for food and shelter. The support may include comforting the injured and bereaved, conducting memorial services, and providing chaplaincy services. More often, workers simply offer a listening ear, open heart and a helpful presence.
Cleanup and Reconstruction
Even after a disaster becomes “old news,” The Salvation Army remains on the scene. The workers distribute cleanup supplies including mops, buckets, shovels, detergents, and tarps. After a catastrophic event like Katrina, The Salvation Army will coordinate volunteer-based construction projects.
In 2008, The Salvation Army sent four teams for two-week deployments to Tyler, Texas, where they distributed food, water, clean up kits and other necessary items to people affected by Hurricane Ike.