TEXARKANA, Texas -- The local Salvation Army is on standby to provide assistance to those dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
Sann Terry, the corps' public relations and development coordinator, said a disaster team has been organized.
"All of the members are volunteers and they've all been notified, so they're just kind of waiting to see when and if we get called," Terry said.
The local Salvation Army is part of the southern division of the organization, and all corps assist each other in a disaster. Each group works in 14-day rotation to help with giving water, food and emotional support to disaster survivors.
The current aid workers in Florida have provided over 10,000 meals, over 7,000 drinks, almost 200 cases of water and 12 hygiene kits.
"The staging site is a 5,000-square-foot warehouse that we started filling with our food," Terry said. "As far as hotels, we take what we get."
The volunteers often sleep in churches, corps offices, shelters or any spare bit of ground they can find so they can serve as quickly as possible.
"The first group that goes to work will often work without electricity or power," said Terry, who assisted with disaster relief after Hurricane Ida in 2021. "Usually by the second or third group, electricity is usually restored."
Terry said she felt called to join the nonprofit organization after retiring as a parole officer. Despite being out of uniform, she still felt the call of helping others.
"The best way to help us is by donating money," Terry said. "What you can buy at the grocery store, we can get through the food bank at 75% of the cost."
Terry said anyone who wants to volunteer with The Salvation Army can call her for information. She can be called at 870-774-2701 or emailed at [email protected].