Salvation Army

The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian evangelical denomination and, consequently, a charity and social services organisation, with international headquarters at 101 Queen Victoria Street London, England.

Disaster relief

The Salvation Army's first major forays into Disaster Relief resulted from the tragedies of the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. These two events instilled such a sense of need in the hearts of Salvationists that their nationwide appeals for financial and material donations yielded tremendous support, enabling the Army to provide assistance to many thousands of affected individuals.

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The Salvation Army is one of the largest non-governmental relief agencies, and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters. They have worked to alleviate suffering and help people rebuild their lives. After the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, they arrived immediately at some of the worst disaster sites to help retrieve and bury the dead. Since then they have helped rebuild homes and construct new boats for people to recover their livelihood. The Sallies were prominent among relief organizations after Hurricane Hugo and Hurricane Andrew and other such natural disasters in the US. They maintain ongoing work in refugee camps especially among displaced people in Africa, but also in other areas. In August of 2005 they rushed supplies of drinking water to poor people affected by the heat wave in the US. Most recently they have helped the victims of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Related Topics:
Indian Ocean tsunami - Hurricane Hugo - Hurricane Andrew - US - Refugee - Africa - Drinking water - Heat wave

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Disaster Relief work is accomplished with the invaluable assistance of trained volunteers, employees, Officers and Soldiers. One Soldier's blog of Hurricane Katrina relief shows how the spiritual impetus behind the work measures up against a sense of need and immediate service to suffering humanity. Without a sense of empowerment, many Salvationist's work would hold little meaning beyond immediate gratification. This bedrock of faith drives people to devote much of their own selves and resources for the good of others.

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