After tornadoes swept through Cottonwood, Alabama, on Monday evening, the town hall, city water department, and multiple downtown buildings were demolished. “The town of Cottonwood is basically destroyed,” said Jim Smith, Director of Public Safety. Due to lack of power and blocked roads, the Director of Public Safety issued a dusk-to-dawn curfew for anyone not working with emergency management or disaster relief operations.
Salvation Army teams were quick to respond. Major Linda Payton, commanding officer of the Dothan, AL Salvation Army, had a canteen out all day Tuesday, serving meals and drinks to first responders and emergency management personnel as they began the process of clean up.
“We plan on returning tomorrow morning,” stated Major Payton. “Then, we plan to take it one day at a time while we are needed.”
With a presence in nearly every zip code in the United States, The Salvation Army is ready to jump into action with relief services wherever a disaster strikes. With over a century of disaster relief experience, they have the ability to tailor their services to fit a specific community in need. “We scale to the storm, because when it comes to disasters, one size does not fit all. Our response can be local because we are local,” said William Trueblood, Divisional Director of Disaster Services for the Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi Division. The Salvation Army is here before, during, and after the storm.
