Salvation Army ready for long-term response

The Salvation Army’s operations in quake-affected Canterbury have shifted up a gear in the past 24 hours.

Salvation Army Emergency Services volunteers yesterday provided 65 per cent more meals to evacuated residents than in the previous day. Pyschosocial support workers fielded their largest number of teams providing emotional support to residents in the hardest-hit suburbs, following up people with complex problems needing more intense care or material support, such as food and water.

Warehousing in the suburb of Hornby has been secured and three specialist managers have been recruited to oversee the movement of bulk goods, heavy transport and accommodation, and travel for Salvation Army personnel. This development will allow a substantial scaling-up of operations needed for the longer term.

Meanwhile, The Salvation Army Canterbury Earthquake Appeal today hit the total of $6.2 million in cash and pledges, up from $4.3 million yesterday. Of this total, $1.6 million was raised through Westpac Bank’s $3 text initiative.

Psychosocial support personnel from around New Zealand and from Australia are part of ‘Suburban Squad’ teams touring the worst-affected eastern suburbs each day, assessing the needs of residents, property and infrastructure. The teams comprise EQC and Christchurch City Council staff and engineers, with 122 Salvation Army personnel providing emotional support to residents and identifying people who require additional support. These include elderly people living in isolation, those with chronic health conditions and those who are particularly stressed or anxious. Such cases were followed-up by ‘flying squads’ of 12 Salvation Army officers, with a large team of volunteers delivering food, water and other goods to those in need.

Another 14 psychosocial support workers were based at welfare centres providing care and support to those evacuated from their homes.

Psychosocial team coordinator Major Lynette Hutson said her teams were making an immense difference to people who, in many cases, were cut off and yet to receive outside help. Extreme examples included an 18-year-old youth who was caring for his wheelchair bound mother and his two adult-aged, intellectually disabled brothers in a house without sewage or water. One of the emerging issues is the number of elderly struggling to get by, often without water or sewage.

Salvation Army emergency services yesterday served 4710 meals to 1570 people at welfare centres. This number included meals for 100 emergency workers hosted at The Salvation Army’s Community Ministries centre in Linwood.

During the day, Linwood Community Ministries delivered 382 food parcels to residents who were without transport and provided 212 food parcels to people arriving at the centre for help.

Donate to the ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’

• Freephone: 0800 53 00 00
• By Post: ‘The Salvation Army, PO Box 27 001 Marion Square, Wellington 6141, New Zealand’
• By Direct Credit: BNZ 02-0568-0091726-02
  
  • Please include your first and last name as a reference. For a receipt email
    Public Relations with your mailing address.
• Donate online

Please specify that your donation is for the ‘Canterbury Earthquake Appeal’