• Charles Nutt

Salvation Army and Partners Serve West Virginia Flood Survivors

CHARLESTON, WV (June 27, 2016):  With more rain expected and 22 West Virginia counties under a flood watch today, The Salvation Army continues to actively assist victims and emergency responders as relief efforts continue.  Floods of historic proportions have left more than two dozen dead across the state.

In addition to collaborative efforts with other disaster service agencies, The Salvation Army is working hand in hand with Senator Joe Manchin’s Mobile Office, helping to distribute FEMA assistance applications for flood victims in Clendenin, West Virginia. 

Also, in Nitro, West Virginia, The Salvation Army’s Huntington, West Virginia Corps has provided cots so that cooks and other volunteers with Operation Barbecue can be sheltered in the Nitro Lodge of Moose International.  The Lodge is serving as a sheltering, cooking, and staging site where Salvation Army Canteens will be restocked daily to deploy as directed by County Emergency Operation Centers to areas of most need.

The Salvation Army’s Maryland & West Virginia Division is grateful for the national disaster services partnership with Moose International.  The Charleston, West Virginia, Moose Lodge is serving as a clearing house for in-kind donations to The Salvation Army during this recovery effort.  The Beckley, West Virginia Moose Lodge is sheltering Salvation Army Canteen volunteers serving Greenbrier County, West Virginia. In addition Moose Lodges throughout West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware are collecting canned and dried food, cleaning supplies, pet food, baby supplies, and other assorted items.  These will be delivered to the Charleston and Beckley Moose Lodges for distribution in the flood zone by The Salvation Army.

In less than 72 hours, The Salvation Army provided more than 6,600 meals, nearly 3,400 snacks, and more 7,500 drinks to flood victims and emergency responders over a four-county area.  These services will continue as long as needed and as requested by West Virginia County Emergency Operation Centers.  As relief efforts continue, The Salvation Army anticipates widespread distribution of cleanup supplies and the initiation of case work after the July 4th holiday.

How people can help:
An appeal is being made for financial assistance to fund the flood relief work in West Virginia.  Those who wish to support The Salvation Army’s disaster response may do so by sending a check earmarked “June 2016 West Virginia Floods”  to their local Salvation Army office, online at http://tinyurl.com/zu6rn47, or by making a credit card donation at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.  Be sure to designate the donation for the “June 2016 West Virginia Floods.”

Although The Salvation Army is not requesting in-kind goods donations at this time, gifts of gently-used household goods, clothing, etc., are always needed by Salvation Army Family Stores to support their work in the local community. Find out more at SAtruck.org, or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK (1-800-728-7825).