Hurricane Dorian, now upgraded to a Category 5 Hurricane with sustained winds of 185 mph, made catastrophic landfall in the Northwest Bahamas, Sunday. The massive storm is slowly moving west and is currently predicted to skirt the east coast of Florida in the coming days. The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) units in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas continue to make preparations for a significant response effort.
An 11-person Incident Management Team (IMT) along with five mobile kitchens and five Rapid Response Units from Texas, initially scheduled to deploy to Florida on Monday, have been placed on standby for possible deployment later in the week. Once the track of Hurricane Dorian becomes clear, and crucially, if the storm makes landfall, a decision will be made on where and when deployment will take place. The Texas IMT will be one of the first teams outside of the affected area to be activated.
“We remain in a holding pattern right now and The Salvation Army disaster response teams and units in Texas will continue to prepare for deployment,” said Alvin Migues, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Texas. “It’s something of a waiting game but if and when Hurricane Dorian makes landfall, the impact on local communities will be significant and we will be ready to help with food, hydration and emotional and spiritual support.”
The Salvation Army has approximately 76 mobile feeding units, each with the ability to serve between 500-1500 meals per day, on standby in locations spanning 10 southern states. In addition, five Incident Management Teams, that each will potentially oversee response operations in the most affected areas, are ready to serve.
“Texas EDS units scheduled for deployment are from Plano, Bryan College Station, Austin, Lubbock, Granbury, Tyler, Freeport, San Antonio and two units from Waco. We are so grateful for the commitment and dedication of our staff and volunteers who have a passion to serve those in need, both in their own communities and beyond,” said Migues.
For more information on The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services and the developing situation regarding Hurricane Dorian response, visit: www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org
