ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The Salvation Army announced Thursday that it was mobilizing disaster units throughout the South in response to the devastation of Hurricane Andrew.
Throughout the week, the Salvation Army has had mobile disaster canteens in the Miami area providing beverages, doughnuts and sandwiches to victims and relief workers. Salvation Army units from North Carolina and Georgia assisted the canteens.
The relief agency also has opened a warehouse relief center in South Dade County, Fla., to provide social services including non-perishable food, clothing, and clean-up kits.
Emergency meals and shelter are available at four community centers that the Salvation Army operates in Miami. Hundreds of people have been sheltered at these centers; as of Tuesday, 4,893 people had received direct assistance from The Salvation Army in the Miami-Dade area, the agency said.
'Much assistance will be needed now and in the coming days and weeks to help those affected by this catastrophic storm,' said Maj. Wayne McHargue, director of Salvation Army Disaster Services in Florida. 'Our reports are just coming in and indications are that we will be needed on-site across south Florida for an extended period.'
The Salvation Army in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi prepared for the worst as the storm moved across the gulf. A dozen or more shelters opened throughout the coast of the three states, and the Salvation Army also fed evacuees at Camp Shelby in Hattiesburg, Miss. In Texas, all of The Salvation Army's 24 mobile canteens had been on standby in preparation for the hurricane.
'The Salvation Army wanted to be there before the storm hit, ready to render whatever services are necessary,' said Lt. Col. Jack Waters, the relief agency's Texas Divisional Commander.
An outpouring of support from the American people helped launch the Salvation Army's relief efforts in the hurricane-ravaged areas.
The relief agency said it welcomes donations, and items most needed include bottled water, canned foods, baby food, diapers (adult and baby), toothbrushes and toothpaste, paper products, linens, and clothing.
Items can be sent to The Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center, 2236 NW Miami Court, Miami, Fla., 33127-4981. People seeking information on donating larger quantities of items may call 813-962-6611.
Monetary donations may be forwarded to your local Salvation Army or sent directly to: The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 270848, Tampa, Fla., 33688-0848; or to The Salvation Army, P.O. Box 4857, Jackson, Miss. 39296. Donors should mark all funds 'Hurricane Andrew Relief.'
