A Salvation Army Incident Management Team (IMT) from the Arkansas and Oklahoma division arrived in Jackson, TN yesterday afternoon to begin serving a community still bogged down by ice. Many in Jackson and the surrounding cities still do not have power, and some that do are unable to get out due to icy roads. The entire city of Jackson is out of salt and supplies to clear roads, leaving residents with few resources to combat the below freezing temperatures.
The team spent last night scouting service locations, setting up an Incident Command, and preparing to begin serving hot meals today. While the team met in the hotel lobby last night, one man stopped on his way to the elevators. “I don’t want to interrupt,” he said, “but I just want to thank you guys for what you are doing. We live in north Mississippi, and we’ve been here for days. It could still be weeks before we will have power….we just….thank you for being here.” The team took time to encourage him and speak with him, not knowing he would only be the first of many.
Through the rest of their evening meeting and the next morning as teams prepared to head to the field kitchen to load up with meals, other evacuees in the hotel stopped to offer appreciation and tell their stories. Many do not know when they will have power and be able to go home but are grateful to have the option to be in a hotel.
“We knew the need would be great,” said Kevin Chinault, EDS Director for the Arkansas and Oklahoma division and Incident Commander for this response team, “But the response of evacuees has just cemented in us the determination to serve. There are so many others out there without a warm place to ride this out. We want to bring comfort, safety, and whatever relief we can to these communities.”
The Salvation Army remains committed to their mission to serve communities affected by disaster and to be the hands and feet of Christ for those in need of assistance or even just a comforting word.
