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Texans are no stranger to natural disasters and the impact they bring. Everything from floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, sandstorms, and powerful winter storms have hit some portion of the Lone Star State. Disasters come in all sizes and with varying impacts to residents. Tropical storm Imelda has made a great and profound impact on the Southeast coast of Texas, some comparing damage caused to one of the most devastating disasters to hit the Texas coast, Hurricane Harvey.
With very little warning, Tropical Storm Imelda made landfall in Texas bringing with it nearly four feet of rain in some areas. In many of these hardest hit areas, residents had just finished repairs to their homes from Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas just two years ago.
Residents in these regions were caught off-guard. Many went about their normal lives going to work, school, or traveling across highways and interstates. Many residents found themselves stranded on roadways, inside flooded homes and schools, and many trying to flee in what quickly became a dangerous flooding situation, ultimately causing up to five people to lose their life.
In the town of Winnie, a rural area just southwest of Beaumont with a population of about 3,200 residents, nearly 800 homes have been affected by flooding after 80 percent of the town was inundated with 43 inches of rain in a very short time frame. The area received 20 inches in under four hours. More than 300 people had to be rescued from their homes.
While the waters are still receding, many will feel the impacts of Imelda for months and years to come. That is why The Salvation Army is sending a unit from the Bryan College Station area to help residents in Winnie. The trained emergency services disaster team along with its canteen mobile kitchen unit deployed on Thursday to provide food for survivors and first responders, as well as emotional and spiritual care for those that may need that assistance. Teams will rotate and be in the area to assist until it is determined that the need has been met and residents are no longer in need of services. “Our local disaster services team has been called into action to serve the survivors and first responders of Winnie. This is what we do, we stand ready to serve those in need whenever and wherever we are called to do so,” says Captain Paul Ryerson, commanding officer of The Salvation Army of Bryan College Station.
If you would like to assist those impacted by Imelda, financial donations can be made at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1 (800) SAL-ARMY to support response efforts in Southeast Texas. Those interested in volunteering with the Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) team are welcome to sign up for the free training that is being offered at The Salvation Army Bryan College Station location at 2506 Cavitt Ave. in Bryan on Oct. 11 and 12. Registration for the courses can be made at www.salvationarmybcs.org.
About The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a broad array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
Texans are no stranger to natural disasters and the impact they bring. Everything from floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, sandstorms, and powerful winter storms have hit some portion of the Lone Star State. Disasters come in all sizes and with varying impacts to residents. Tropical storm Imelda has made a great and profound impact on the Southeast coast of Texas, some comparing damage caused to one of the most devastating disasters to hit the Texas coast, Hurricane Harvey.
With very little warning, Tropical Storm Imelda made landfall in Texas bringing with it nearly four feet of rain in some areas. In many of these hardest hit areas, residents had just finished repairs to their homes from Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas just two years ago.
Residents in these regions were caught off-guard. Many went about their normal lives going to work, school, or traveling across highways and interstates. Many residents found themselves stranded on roadways, inside flooded homes and schools, and many trying to flee in what quickly became a dangerous flooding situation, ultimately causing up to five people to lose their life.
In the town of Winnie, a rural area just southwest of Beaumont with a population of about 3,200 residents, nearly 800 homes have been affected by flooding after 80 percent of the town was inundated with 43 inches of rain in a very short time frame. The area received 20 inches in under four hours. More than 300 people had to be rescued from their homes.
While the waters are still receding, many will feel the impacts of Imelda for months and years to come. That is why The Salvation Army is sending a unit from the Bryan College Station area to help residents in Winnie. The trained emergency services disaster team along with its canteen mobile kitchen unit deployed on Thursday to provide food for survivors and first responders, as well as emotional and spiritual care for those that may need that assistance. Teams will rotate and be in the area to assist until it is determined that the need has been met and residents are no longer in need of services. “Our local disaster services team has been called into action to serve the survivors and first responders of Winnie. This is what we do, we stand ready to serve those in need whenever and wherever we are called to do so,” says Captain Paul Ryerson, commanding officer of The Salvation Army of Bryan College Station.
If you would like to assist those impacted by Imelda, financial donations can be made at www.helpsalvationarmy.org or by calling 1 (800) SAL-ARMY to support response efforts in Southeast Texas. Those interested in volunteering with the Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) team are welcome to sign up for the free training that is being offered at The Salvation Army Bryan College Station location at 2506 Cavitt Ave. in Bryan on Oct. 11 and 12. Registration for the courses can be made at www.salvationarmybcs.org.
About The Salvation ArmyThe Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in London in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for more than 130 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through a broad array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar The Salvation Army spends is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.
