Southern EDS units mobilized to respond to Hurricane Dorian

As The Salvation Army in the Caribbean responded to Hurricane Dorian's onslaught in the Bahamas, where dozens died and tens of thousands were left homeless, Southern Territory Emergency Disaster Services mobilized.

The Atlantic states were spared the worst of the storm. Yet many coastal areas were ordered evacuated as Dorian approached. Thousands fled their homes, and the Army was there to help.

The first week of September, Salvationists in the Florida, Georgia and North and South Carolina divisions provided food and hydration to first responders and evacuees at command posts, churches, community centers and shelters and offered emotional and spiritual care when called upon.

As of Tuesday morning, Sept. 10, the three divisions had served 33,843 meals, 44,934 drinks and 25,041 snacks in the Dorian response, and had provided emotional and spiritual care to 3,008 people. Forty-eight cleanup kits and 145 personal hygiene kits were handed out, and employees and volunteers put in more than 3,690 total hours of service.

Tuesday, 49 canteens were assigned; five were in service in eastern North Carolina, where Dorian made landfall with widespread flooding.

Meanwhile, the Coca-Cola Foundation, the philanthropic giving arm of the Atlanta soft drink company, pledged $400,000 to The Salvation Army to provide immediate resources for emergency food and shelter for the Bahamas..