Des Moines, Iowa (May 22, 2024) – A Salvation Army of Des Moines disaster-relief team is en route to Greenfield, Iowa, today to support individuals and families impacted by the tornado that struck the town on Tuesday.
The disaster-relief team is bringing a canteen loaded with food, snacks, bottled water, and supplies to be distributed in Greenfield. Working in conjunction with area officials, the team will assess the need and determine if additional Salvation Army personnel, vehicles, and relief supplies need to be sent in to assist from Des Moines or other units within the three-state Western Division, a region of The Salvation Army that includes Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
At The Salvation Army Western Division, headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, another disaster-relief team is already on standby and ready to deploy to Greenfield and provide additional support.
UPDATE: Greenfield, Iowa (May 23, 2024) – Multiple Salvation Army disaster-relief teams have been at work in Greenfield, providing food, snacks and hydration in the wake of a deadly tornado that struck the town Tuesday.
Salvation Army teams from Des Moines, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, met Wednesday with area officials to better assess the level of need in Greenfield and determine a plan for Salvation Army disaster-relief operations going forward.
Plans now call for a Salvation Army canteen to rove about the town on Thursday, providing a mobile food-and-hydration service to storm-impacted individuals, as well as first responders and recovery crews.
After that, plans call for Salvation Army teams to serve hundreds of breakfasts on each of the following days: Friday through Monday (May 24-27). Breakfast service will begin at 7 a.m. each day; roughly half of the breakfasts will be delivered directly to storm-impacted individuals/first responders/recovery crews around town, while the other half will be served at St. John’s Church (303 NE Elm St. in Greenfield), where the community has set up a storm-relief center.
Authorities reported that 4 people were killed and 35 injured in the tornado, which tore a path from the southwest end of the central Iowa community of 2,000 all the way to the northeast end of town.
The Salvation Army is prepared to provide disaster relief within the Greenfield area for as long as needed.
