Twin Cities volunteer answers call to help in flood-ravaged Missouri
When disaster strikes, The Salvation Army is ready to help. After record flooding in Missouri and parts of Illinois last week, St. Paul-based volunteer Jim Daly was called in from Minnesota to offer his expertise.
For more than 15 years, Daly has served at some of the most high-profile disasters in American history. Now, he will serving as the Area Commander for The Salvation Army in Missouri, overseeing dozens of people who will be providing food, beverages and flood relief kits to residents.
“The water is slowly receding here,” Daly said. “It will take days before all the damage can be assessed and the clean-up is likely to take months. The physical extent of the damage is amazing, it it is very wide-spread.”
The Salvation Army is working with the American Red Cross and other relief agencies to provide support to people who have been impacted by the flooding. And unfortunately, people on the ground fear that it’s not over yet.
“The big concern is that the flooding will keep moving downstream,” Daly explained. “And until it stops and the water recedes, we just won’t know how big of a disaster we are dealing with.”
Salvation Army disaster relief begins with emergency response, providing physical comfort, including food, water and shelter. But then, after the immediate crisis has passed, the Army stays to provide financial assistance and support to help the community recover. For years, The Salvation Army has often been the first agency to arrive and the last to leave after a disaster.
“We have wonderful volunteers here in the Northern Division,” said Major Fred Mead, Salvation Army divisional director of disaster relief. “Having prepared and trained people are the goals of our department; so we can respond in a local emergency or send staff across the country to help our brothers and sisters in the fight.”
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