03 December 2013

Emergency preparedness and management are Salvation Army priorities. You're likely to see Salvation Army people, food and supplies anywhere emergencies happen in nearly 40 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The quest, based on The Salvation Army's mission statement, is to meet human needs without discrimination. "It's not about people's financial status or ethnicity," said Bob Myers. "It's about helping them in their greatest time of need. They're glad we're there and we're always ready to assist in any way we can."

Bob is director of The Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services in Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. He and his team maintain a pool of 600 to 700 volunteers. They respond to nearly 300 emergencies every year – from house fires to water main breaks and power outages.

Bob's team was ready when a storm named Sandy visited the Northeastern United States last fall. Mother Nature is unpredictable, so there are two stories to share. The first involved emergency preparedness in and around Philadelphia. Volunteers such as Jesse Mines helped deliver food and supplies for emergency shelters mobilized in advance of Sandy.

Jesse, a 22-year-old cook at a Northeast Philadelphia restaurant, helped deliver breakfast, lunch and dinner to shelters. He's been a volunteer for two-and-a-half years. "I knew someone who worked with The Salvation Army," he said. "I joined, and I took it seriously."

Philadelphia largely was spared the wrath of Sandy, but Jesse said there were some tense moments, such as when the wind and rain began pushing the vehicle he was driving to the side of the road.

To the north and east of Philadelphia, Sandy unleashed her full fury, and that's our second story. The economic toll of the storm's aftermath was staggering – homes destroyed or damaged, and families displaced.

Bob and his team participated in meal service operations at shelters in the Lehigh Valley and East Stroudsburg. Three canteen feeding units were operating in New Jersey weeks after the storm. The Salvation Army loaned equipment such as portable generators, cots, blankets and numerous other supplies.

Even later, Bob's team continued to assist in the storm's aftermath. For example, Ted Lewis, Salvation Army caseworker in direct care social services, spent two weeks in New York, mostly in Queens and Brooklyn, helping those most in need.

Ted joined representatives of FEMA visiting hotels where people who lost their homes were staying. They also visited people on site at their damaged homes.

"I had some real meaningful conversations with people devastated by disaster," said Ted. "The Salvation Army offered less paperwork, and more prayer. For me, it was a blessing to be with The Salvation Army. We responded with a reason to hope for better days."