WACO, Texas — The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services have sent out multiple local service teams after Tropical Storm Imelda flooded southeast Texas.
They have additional teams on standby across Texas and volunteers are needed even more.
The Salvation Army of Waco has a large truck used to help feed a community called the 'Canteen' unit on standby as EDS monitors the relief effort.
“We have been in touch with our Salvation Army units around the state and have put several mobile feeding units on standby in anticipation of feeding needs in the affected communities,” said Alvin Migues, EDS Director for The Salvation Army in Texas in a press release. “We are in regular contact with local and state Emergency Management staff and are already coordinating response efforts where roads are now passable. In the coming days we expect to have a clearer idea of the particular areas that need help.”
Salvation Army of Waco Corps Officer James Taylor told 6 News, crews on standby must be ready to leave immediately.
"They would call us up and say, 'We need you to send your team to such and such a place,'" Taylor said. "Usually in 24 hours they would be gone. Maybe even faster than that."
Taylor said crews are normally deployed for two weeks, and may need to sleep in sleeping bags and in buildings without working air condition.
"Last year, hurricane Michael in Florida, there was no hotels, there was no potable water. They slept in a gymnasium," Taylor said. "It was pretty spartan."
Unfortunately, good volunteers with the skills they need can be difficult to find.
All Salvation Army volunteers must pass a background check and go though certain safety classes. For a volunteer to serve on a team, they may need even more skills.
To serve food on a canteen truck, the nonprofit needs people with a food handler certification. For a team that helps comfort the community after tragedy, people with counseling experience are valuable. The salvation army also needs to manage warehouses of donations, so a person with a forklift certification is helpful.
While the Salvation Army will help train volunteers in those skills, the process takes time. People that already have them can be deployed faster.
Taylor told 6 News the work is always worth it in the end.
"It truly is labor. It's a labor of love for your neighbor. They are hurting. They have been through a horrific event, and they need your care," Taylor said.
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