PRESS RELEASE
The Salvation Army Ramps Up
Flood
Response Across North Dakota
Teams deployed from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota
Roseville, Minn. – April 1, 2009 – The Salvation Army has ramped up its flood response across North Dakota after late season snowstorms have put the cities of Jamestown, Fargo, Bismarck and Grand Forks on high alert.
On Thursday, the Jamestown Salvation Army will begin providing food, hydration, and emotional/spiritual care to legions of sandbaggers at more than 15 sites around the city, including the Jamestown Civic Center. These services will be carried out for days via two mobile feeding units and three cargo vans, one of which is en route from Peoria, Illinois.
In the Fargo/Moorhead area, 73 staff and volunteers have spent the last 10 days serving more than 75,000 meals, 150,000 drinks and 150,000 snacks to local and outlying residents via eight feeding units, including one from Decatur City, Iowa.
“The minute we get totally worn out and disheartened, The Salvation Army shows up,” said Carol Lovejoy of Argusville, N.D., one of several communities north of Fargo to which The Salvation Army has been making regular visits.
The Fargo Salvation Army is also distributing disposable cameras that community members can use to document their belongings should they lose anything to the flood.
Eighty miles north of Fargo, the Grand Forks Salvation Army is stocking up on cleaning kits, bottled water and food that will be distributed should the Red River rise above the city’s $400 million-plus dike system, built after the devastating 1997 flood. Two of three mobile feeding units on hand are from the Minnesota cities of Duluth and St. Cloud.
“In the next week we’ll be feeling the punch of what Fargo is feeling right now,” said Major Ed Wilson, administrator of the Grand Forks Salvation Army.
In Bismarck, staff and volunteers have spent more than 1,100 hours serving nearly 5,100 meals via mobile feeding units from Iowa (Waterloo, Cedar Rapids), Minnesota (Austin) and Illinois (Quad Cities). These services continued Monday despite a blizzard that blanketed the city in more than a foot of snow.
“If the weather holds we will be able to scale down our response and begin moving into the recovery phase,” said Major Lee Morrison, administrator of the Bismarck Salvation Army.
In all of these cities, The Salvation Army is prepared to offer social services – hygiene kits, food and gas vouchers, clothing, more – as money allows.
Flood survivors needing assistance can call their local Salvation Army, or The Salvation Army Northern Division office at 651-746-3574.
Twin Cities ACE Hardware stores are collecting cleanup and food items for The Salvation Army to distribute to flood survivors. To view a list of items and ACE locations click here.
The Salvation Army Northern Division serves more than 485,000 people in Minnesota and North Dakota.
Donations to The Salvation Army can also be made by calling 800-SAL-ARMY or online by clicking below.
