Help Disaster Survivors | The Salvation Army USA

Every year, natural disasters destroy local economies and devastate lives. They cause Americans emotional damage and cost $24.4 billion in insured losses each year.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, droughts, floods, and other natural disasters pose a great threat to our country. We’re here to help – in any given year, we provide nearly 800,000 survivors with support, hope, and healing.

Help survivors and their communities come back from disaster.

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Across our nation, The Salvation Army is there to lend a hand.

No matter where disaster strikes, The Salvation Army is there within hours.

As one of the largest disaster-relief organizations in the country, The Salvation Army is ready with immediate response and recovery plans unique to the community affected. Plans forged from decades of recovery efforts and learnings from across the world.

We serve in nearly every ZIP code long before a disaster happens. We’re among the first on the spot, providing wildfire, flood, tornado, or hurricane relief. And we stay long after a storm has passed.

The Salvation Army Helps Meet the Disaster Survivors Through:

Emergency Preparedness

Our experience covers decades of leading recovery efforts – since the 1900 Galveston Hurricane, our trained staff and volunteers have served survivors and first responders of every major disaster. We know recovery efforts start before a disaster strikes and a good plan is key to long-term recovery success. In addition to offering disaster-preparedness training programs across the country to get individuals and communities ready for emergencies, we also have a disaster preparedness handbook available.

Immediate Emergency Response

Disasters and emergencies strike without much warning, but you can count on The Salvation Army to be on the spot, providing relief within hours, because we’re already part of the community.

We work with local organizations and federal authorities. We mobilize where people are hungry and need basic comforts. We provide mobile showers, bottled water, and a clean blanket to anyone in need. We turn our properties into sites of refuge when needed. And we deliver emotional and spiritual care that first responders and survivors desire.

When Hurricane Harvey brought $125 billion in devastation to the Texas Gulf Coast region, we executed one of the largest disaster-relief operations in our history. The Salvation Army deployed 96 mobile feeding units; served more than 2.8 million meals, drinks, and snacks; and provided more than 400,000 hours of staff and volunteer service.

Emotional and Spiritual Care

Some effects of disasters are unseen – many survivors and first responders suffer emotional stress and trauma. The Salvation Army delivers vital emotional and spiritual care they need. That may mean a shoulder for crying or an ear for listening. Other times it calls for a hug and a prayer. No matter what’s needed, The Salvation Army is ready to help.

Read the story of how one family reached out to The Salvation Army’s specially trained emotional and spiritual care providers to navigate life after Hurricane Irma.

Long-Term Disaster Recovery

The Salvation Army leads long-term recovery efforts for as long as a community needs us. That often means we stay to help months, even years, after a disaster. We work with local, state, and federal governments to form a long-term disaster recovery plan.

The plan is far-reaching. It meets basic needs. It addresses restoration and rebuilding projects. It includes the dispersal of financial help and donated goods. All to help survivors rebuild their lives.

When our initial response to Hurricane Katrina ended, we allocated $225 million to provide long-term disaster recovery. More than 10 years later, we maintain an ongoing presence in many communities through services and new centers, including an emergency disaster services center in Jackson, Mississippi, and a new Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Serving All Without Discrimination

In providing its disaster relief programs and services, The Salvation Army is committed to accommodating all those in need without unlawful discrimination or harassment based on age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or any other characteristic in accordance with our capacity to help.

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Natural disasters have a tremendous financial impact

They add up to a total of about $24.4 billion in losses each year.

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Disasters affect lives.

Every year, over 90 million people are affected by natural disasters.

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The Salvation Army fights natural disasters with acts of God.

The Salvation Army is ready to jump into action with relief services wherever a disaster strikes. With over a century of experience, our disaster expertise lets us tailor our services to fit a specific community in need. We scale to the storm, because when it comes to disasters, one size does not fit all.

The Salvation Army brings help, hope, and healing to disaster survivors.

Watch how we provide rescue and relief to communities affected by disaster.

Press Resources

Experts for Interview

The Salvation Army has trained experts leading its emergency disaster response efforts in nearly every zip code in the United States. Many of these experts have more than 20 years’ experience in emergency management, and have led disaster response efforts for:

Hurricane Katrina
The 9/11 terrorist attacks
The earthquakes in Haiti and Nepal
The Oklahoma City bombing
The Joplin tornado
The 2004 and 2017 Atlantic hurricane seasons in Texas, Florida, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and more

If you are a member of the media and would like to speak with one of our experts, please contact:

Joseph Cohen
The Salvation Army
703-299-5551
joseph.cohen@usn.salvationarmy.org