Caring Vol. 16 No. 3 (Fall 2010)

VOL. 16, NO. 3 • FALL 2010

UPDATES FROM: Haiti, Chile, China, New Orleans, New York City, So. Pacific/East Asia

caring The holistic ministries of The Salvation Army

“In a moment of loss, we need to know we are not alone. It is important to be comforted in tragedy by the presence and care of a friend.”­—WILLIAM HARFOOT

In the face of loss

by William Harfoot

Relief to recovery 7

by Daniel Starrett

International Emergency Services

by Drew Ruthven

Deployed for duty

by Damaris Frick

11

Counting Counts

by Kelly Pontsler

Opening the door

by Gary Haupt

25 VIRTUALLY STOCKED SHELVES

by Christin Davis AS THE STORY UNFOLDS

by Jennifer Byrd A TICKET OUT

by Melissa Axman FOOD FROM THE SKIES

by Laura Mszar COMMUNICATION IN DISASTER

by Ken Cavallero

19 30 35 38 41

7 9 11 13 17 25

UPDATES

NEW YORK

by John Berglund.................................... 14 THE SOUTH PACIFIC/EAST ASIA

by Jonathan Hibbert-Hingston.................. 21 In recent days

by Robert Street.....................................23 NEW ORLEANS

by Ethan Frizzell....................................28 HAITI

by Lindsay Rowe..................................... 32 The view on the ground

by Cedric Hills....................................... 33 CHILE

by Raelton Gibbs.....................................36 CHINA

by Jeremy Lam.......................................40

Disaster services online

by Michael Orfitelli............................. 42

MY CORNER 2 • PERSPECTIVE 3 • IN THE NEWS 4 • AND FINALLY... 44

FIRST IN LAST OUT This issue of Caring examines the strategy, motivation and skills that are behind the Army’s delivery of emergency services, with updates from personnel around the world.

On the cover: A Salvation Army aid worker helps clear away earthquake debris in Chile. See story on page 36.

Photo by Raelton Gibbs

FALL 2010 • VOL. 16, NO. 3

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MY CORNER

Resilience This issue of Caring speaks of disaster and recovery.

BY Here, I speak of up-close-and-personal disaster and the ROBERT power of resilience.

DOCTER In life, occasions emerge when we are beset by

agonizing trauma that seems to pound us like waves in giant surf.

We experience a major hit. We are bent. It is unexpected. Out of the blue. Severe. It comes, often unexpectedly, in many forms, but always saturates us with feelings of loss.

Here are some examples: • a natural disaster wherein you experience significant loss • a physical or mental illness causing pain and fear • a major environmental catastrophe • the unexpected and sudden death of a loved one • the death of a child • the loss of a job • war • a major health blow to you or a loved one • the death of a friend from whom you gathered strength • dramatic social change that seems to threaten you There are always two events. One is external. It causes you feelings of severe, genuine loss; the other is internal. It pertains to the meaning you give it—the content of the self-talk it generates within you.

The trauma hurts, deeply hurts right to the core of our being. The pain seems unbearable.

Our mind rotates rapidly through varying stages of excruciating grief. There seems to be no peace—no suspension of the anguish locked in our loss.

In the torture of our confusion—in the denial of a present painful reality—our mind begins to feed us negative self-talk often beginning with the phrase: “If I’d only…” The self-blame that follows drives us even more deeply into our despair. We feel alone, out of control, spinning deeper and deeper into a morass from which there seems no escape. Our anger increases, our guilt grows, our faith falters, our doubts expand, and our hope seems distant.

Some resist moving from this cyclic rotation of grief. In their denial they have established the premise that they deserve the pain, or that moving beyond it somehow accepts the reality of a loss and thus a betrayal. They fail to return to life and would consider it dishonorable to do so.

Good grief Where is God when you need him? Right where we want him to be—available and full of grace; ready, in his time, to bring us peace and reawaken our hope.

Grief is a natural process. It is the valley through which we must MY CORNER page 6

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Caring is published quarterly by The Salvation Army and seeks to: • •

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Reclaim ‘acts of mercy’ as imperatives to holiness.

Bring the Army’s ministries of evangelistic and social outreach into one holistic ministry.

Describe exemplary programs seeking to integrate the goals of the Army’s holistic ministries.

Foster innovation and the development of creative approaches to ministry.

Edify, enlighten, enrich and stimulate discussion among Salvationists involved in caring ministries.

Provide a forum for examination of critical social issues within the Army.

Report on important and relevant research in areas of holistic ministry.

Review critical contributions of scholars and writers within relevant fields of ministry.

Examine The Salvation Army as an organization in respect to its history, purpose, mission and future.

STAFF Robert Docter, Ph.D. Christin Davis Karen Gleason Buffy Lincoln Edie Jenkins Sue Schumann Warner

Editor in Chief Managing Editor Contributing Editor Associate Editor Editorial Assistant Contributing Writer

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Betty Israel, Major Geoffrey Allan, Major John Cheydleur, Major Kevin Tomson-Hooper Allie Niles, Major

National Headquarters Central Territory Eastern Territory Southern Territory Western Territory

LAYOUT & DESIGN Kevin Dobruck Stephen Martinez

Art Director Graphic Designer

CIRCULATION Christin Davis

562-491-8723

USA WESTERN TERRITORIAL HEADQUARTERS Commissioner James Knaggs, Territorial Commander Colonel William Harfoot, Chief Secretary P.O. Box 22646 180 East Ocean Blvd.

Long Beach, CA 90802 562/491-8723 • Fax 562/491-8791 e-mail: caring@usw.salvationarmy.org

Unless otherwise indicated, all contents copyright© 2010 by New Frontier Publications, The Salvation Army, USA Western Territory, 180 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90802 USA. If requested, permission to reproduce is usually freely granted. Please contact the publisher before reproducing.

PERSPECTIVE

As the ground shakes We’re the first in and the last out God is our refuge and strength, an BY ever-present help in trouble. Therefore CHRISTIN we will not fear, though the earth give DAVIS way and the mountains fall into the

heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3).

We practice for it in school. We debate the safety of seeking shelter in the doorway (which is not recommended). We prepare readiness boxes with food and water. Yet, when the ground shakes beneath you, it’s always a little unsettling.

This year has brought a number of news headlines reporting major earthquakes and widespread devastation.

In recent days, a number of Salvation Army disaster services personnel have told me that it’s hard to describe the destruction they witnessed in these areas.

The Boston Globe depicted the scene in China’s Sichuan Province following the earthquake in May as “almost apocalyptic devastation: mountaintops sheared off into valleys, cities reduced to rubble and dust, cracked dams, collapsed bridges, and at least 80,000 dead.”

Be it a natural calamity or the result of human action, hazards that threaten life, health and property come to realization in our world almost every day.

These disasters can be individually devastating, or can strike at the heart of us all. They can reach beyond oceans and borders, and are not discriminating in who is affected. A disaster doesn’t always have one point of impact; oftentimes, one results in another, creating lasting impact and sometimes lasting disaster.

Ready to respond When disaster strikes, we all feel a sense of unease, vulnerability and risk.

With official presence in 121 countries, The Salvation Army has people ready to respond around the world.

Developing countries seem to suffer greatest when disaster hits—20 times greater than industrialized countries according to some reports.

To combat this, the Army’s International Emergency Services currently provides aid in places like Haiti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Iraq, Guatemala, Northern India, Indonesia, Philippines and Taiwan.

In Jacmel, Haiti, for example, The Salvation Army recently completed construction of 576 housing shelters to assist in relocating earthquake-displaced Haitians back to their home communities. The long-term rebuilding process has employed more than 400 Haitians as carpenters and construction crewmembers.

“The level of care and steps taken to rebuild Haiti has been astonishing,” said Lt. Colonel Dan Starrett, executive director of The Salvation Army World Service Office, based in the U.S. “The Salvation Army has had a major presence in Haiti since the 1950s and we’ll continue to provide earthquake relief services for as long as the need is there.”

We’re there This issue is about The Salvation Army’s work in areas of disaster—the food and water distributed and support provided as the rubble settles, as well as the construction plans and sustainability strategies that develop in the years that follow. The Army recognizes how crucial it is to transition from providing immediate relief to implementing plans for long-term recovery.

In these pages, you will find the strategy, motivation and skills that are behind the Army’s delivery of emergency services, and updates from personnel around the world who continue to work in areas of major disaster from the past decade. We’re still there in New York…New Orleans…the South Pacific…Haiti…Chile…China.

We’re the first in, and the last out. n Christin Davis is the managing editor of Caring.

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In the news Compiled by Karen Gleason

Researching disasters with social media Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Lab in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has been tracking disaster response on social-media websites—such as Twitter and YouTube—to discover who is using them and how.

The lab—part of a growing field of research on the intersection of disaster relief and ever-evolving social media— received a 2-year grant of $1.1 million from the Office of Naval Research—an agency in the Department of Defense—in partnership with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Brian Dennis, lead researcher at Lockheed, said the lab aims to show the federal government that this field is worth more investment, noting that officials, while coordinating efforts at command centers, “sometimes miss things at the very edge that could be going on...Social-media systems are catching some of that.”

Using demographic and behavioral data, Dennis hopes to create computerized simulations of how social-media users react during disasters in order to test new tools. Social media already

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help track where assistance is most needed and avoid duplication, but that role could be expanded and used to gauge whether aid is working.

Lockheed began its work on disasters and social media in August 2009. The project was still developing when the 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010. Researchers got to work and within two hours collected 29,000 “tweets” (Twitter posts) from more than 18,000 users, which they analyzed.

Early work concerning social media and disasters focused on Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007.

Today, members of the ConnectivIT lab at the University of Colorado are creating an interactive map to track the impact of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico using Twitter reports about oil washing ashore, wildlife affected, and volunteers looking to help. They also are seeking ways to analyze the massive amount of information available through social media.

From the Philadelphia Inquirer Partnerships in a disaster The Salvation Army has a long and successful history of

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working with other disaster relief organizations. These partnerships—both government and faith-based—include FEMA, Southern Baptist Convention, American Red Cross, Operation Blessing, Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, Mennonite Disaster Services, Lutheran Disaster Response, Convoy of Hope, Latter-Day Saints Charities, Catholic Charities USA, Feeding America and Habitat for Humanity.

The partnering agencies sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Standards of Operations (SOP) documents, designed to ensure smooth orchestration of disaster response and a continuity of services offered.

To bring about a successful concerted effort, partners employ coordination, collaboration, communication and the promotion of cooperation. The National Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), an umbrella organization, is a coalition of more than 50 non-profit and faith-based organizations that assists in fostering and formalizing many of these working relationships.

Recently, The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) teamed with the Southern Baptist

Convention Disaster Team in Haiti to provide the Jacmel Corps with a temporary chapel. The corps’ chapel was damaged in the January 2010 earthquake; since then, people have met under tarps. The rainy season worsened the situation.

The Southern Baptists took six of the Army’s housing kits and turned them into a corps chapel for Jacmel, so they no longer have to meet under tarps. During the week, the building is used for classrooms.

The Salvation Army plans to do the same for the Bainet Corps, which was also damaged.

From Major Sharon M. Polarek, Salvation Army national liaison for Emergency Disaster Services in the U.S. The silent disaster of homelessness In Australia, research released

by The Salvation Army in May revealed that 20 percent of people—roughly 80,000 people— coming to the Army in 2009 had never before sought the Army’s help.

Across New South Wales— Australia’s most populous state— The Salvation Army has recorded a 65 percent rise in the number of people who report being homeless or sleeping in cars or tents. The

numbers have increased from around 1,200 people in 2008 to nearly 2,000 people in 2010.

Because many of these people have family members living with them, the actual numbers may be two to three times higher.

The increases have been even greater in some regions, including a rise in homelessness of 110 percent in the Central Coast, and 100 percent in Newcastle/Hunter.

According to Army figures, the main leap occurred from 2008 to 2009 during the peak of the economic downturn.

However, recent figures (May 31, 2010) suggest the numbers have continued to increase from 2009 to 2010.

“This highlights that those we assist may still be struggling from the effects of the economic downturn. In our experience, those who are most vulnerable in the community are not only the first to be impacted by an economic downturn, but the last to recover,” said Army spokesperson, Rhonda Gregory.

From salvos.org.au

2010 earthquake.

The Transitional Shelter Program empowered Haitians during the reconstruction process. In a nation where over two-thirds of the labor force is unemployed, more than 400 Haitians were hired as carpenters and construction crew-members to assist in rebuilding and take an active role in re-establishing their communities.

On average, the shelters house five people and last several years.

During hurricane season, the design allows the shelters to withstand strong winds as well as drain water, reducing the spread of water-borne illnesses.

Now that hundreds of shelters have gone up in Jacmel, the Army will work with Haitian government officials to plan the development of another 1,000 to 1,500 homes in the northern coastal town of Petit-Goave, which was severely damaged by a strong aftershock.

From blog.salvationarmyeds.org

Temporary shelters raised In July, The Salvation Army completed construction of 576 long-term intermediary housing shelters in Jacmel to help relocate those displaced by the January

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MY CORNER

from page 2

travel when we experience loss. We must grieve or we slip into an irrational denial of the reality of the loss.

We achieve the transition by being resilient: “springing back, rebounding, returning to an original form after being bent” (Webster). It is a renewal of a “right spirit within me.”

You can have a resilient mindset, and you can begin building it now.

The term mindset indicates an attitudinal screen through which our thoughts move. It’s the preliminary orientation we have chosen to fix in our brains that determines the manner in which we assign meaning to events that transpire around us.

Robert Brooks, in his book The Power of Resilience, states that “Resilient individuals are those who have a set of assumptions or attitudes about themselves that influence their behavior and skills. It has several features: • feeling in control of one’s life • being able to fortify one’s stress hardiness

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• being empathic • using effective communication and other

interpersonal capabilities • possessing solid problem-solving and

decision-making skills • establishing realistic goals and expectations • learning from both success and failure • being compassionate • living a responsible life based on thoughtful

values • feeling special but not self-centered while

helping others feel the same “Mindsets are not set in stone,” Brooks writes.

“They can change. The more we understand the beliefs that guide our behavior, the more we can engage in the process of replacing counterproductive, self-defeating assumptions with those that will lead to a more resilient, fulfilling life.” n Robert Docter, Ph.D., is editor in chief of New Frontier Publications.

MAINTAINING RESILIENCE

BY WILLIAM HARFOOT

When my boys were young, they both played in Little League Baseball. We soon discovered that one son was a natural athlete and the other was not. Yet, for both boys—the natural athlete and the not-so-natural athlete— sports provided an opportunity to learn about winning and losing. In life, we all eventually learn that we can only win sometimes so we must develop skills and a resilience to handle the experience of loss. We learn how to celebrate when we win and we learn how to grieve and continue on in life when we lose.

No one escapes experiencing loss.

It comes in many forms and due to many causes, sometimes the result of circumstances outside of our control or even our influence. Around the world, people experience natural disasters of many types, including fires, tornados, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes.

Other losses are the natural consequences of our own behavior or the actions of others.

People suffer losses that result from war and crime. Some experience the loss of a failed marriage, loss of a job or loss from economic

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Does God, or anyone, know what I’m going through?

Does God, or anyone, care?

Is God, or anyone, able to help me? change. We all will come to know the loss that results from the death of loved ones. Others have lost freedom and independence. Whatever the nature and cause of the experience of disaster, be it personal or shared with many others, we each face the challenge of responding and moving forward following loss.

Lessons from a storm One of my favorite stories of Jesus is found in Mark 4:35-41. Jesus slept in a boat when a furious squall came and the boat was nearly swamped. Storms come and go on a sea or large lake just like they do in our lives. Each type of storm can be followed by disastrous consequences.

In the midst of the storm, the disciples wake Jesus from his sleep and demand an answer: Teacher, don’t you care if we drown? This question at the center of the story is one of three key questions that arise in the soul of anyone facing serious loss.

First, the disciples were anxious in the face of a disaster and wanted assurance that Jesus—their leader—did not abandon them. Remember, to be alone is the first experience of creation that was declared not good (Genesis 2:18) by the Creator.

Loneliness, a sense of abandonment, is a great enemy of the human soul. In Mark’s story, Jesus was asleep in the boat. It is tempting to believe that God is asleep when tragedy threatens and we experience a major loss; yet, God has not forgotten us.

In a moment of loss, we need to know that we are not alone. It is important to be comforted in tragedy by the presence and care of a friend.

The question, Teacher, don’t you care? is the second significant question of the three. When disaster comes to our lives, the first great concern is if God knows of our circumstance. As Tommy Walker composed: “He knows my name; He knows my every thought; He sees each tear that falls and hears me when I call.”

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In the story, it’s clear that just because Jesus was asleep did not mean that he didn’t know of the storm. We should not assume that God does not know our situation.

Mark’s story addresses a third human concern: “Is God able to help?” Jesus responded to the disciples’ fear with action. Actions so often speak more meaningfully than words. Love must be shown, as well as spoken. In times of disaster, tragedy or loss, love and care must be expressed in practical service.

Divine call This need for practical service is the divine call upon The Salvation Army as a group and as individual soldiers. As Salvationists, our best witness and best communication of divine grace is the result of our active service in times of significant human need. I am attracted to the Army, in part, because we are action-oriented. We are responsive as well as reflective. We think, we feel and we take action.

When disaster strikes and we lose something or someone, we can discover once again a future that includes a fresh sense of joy and hope. We can survive and be renewed even when we lose something valuable in a disastrous experience. The process of renewal following a significant loss is certainly helped by those who come alongside with care.

Pastoral care is human care at a deep level.

Pastoral care is the representative care of our father God. In any experience of significant loss, we respond to these three key questions, which, spoken or unspoken, rise within the soul: Does God, or anyone, know what I’m going through? Does God, or anyone, care? Is God, or anyone, able to help me?

The biblical response, the response of Jesus and our own response affirm a resounding “yes.” n Colonel William Harfoot is the chief secretary in the U.S. Western Territory.

In a year filled with demand for disaster response, The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO), based in the U.S., is working tirelessly along with the Army’s International Emergency Services (IES) to aid those places experiencing disaster and devastation in the world.

Here, SAWSO Executive Director Lt. Col. Daniel Starrett talks with Caring about the necessary transition from relief to recovery.

Caring: What happens when a disaster first occurs?

Starrett: The Salvation Army moves into action immediately to meet basic human needs—food,

shelter, water, spiritual care and medical needs.

Other critical needs include personal safety, knowledge of family members and the status of personal property.

The Army’s long established presence around the world enables officers, employees, soldiers and volunteers to mobilize immediately to meet needs.

Who is involved in disaster care and planning?

A holistic approach requires an entire continuum of disaster care and planning. Teams onsite work on the immediate care and support of victims, and teams in the background work on materials support, staff

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deployment and operational structure. Of course, this depends on the size of the disaster, but the principles of service work whether a fire destroys a home and displaces a family, or an earthquake destroys a city.

How important is long-term planning?

While urgent human and spiritual needs are addressed, a view toward a long-term strategy for aid response in the affected country must be considered.

The Salvation Army is an excellent first responder to the physical needs, but we cannot neglect the development of short/long-term strategy. In order to be successful in our work, meeting urgent needs and planning for long-term recovery must occur immediately.

What happens when relief work ends?

A natural phase of any disaster is the transition from relief to recovery, which is often gradual and occurs without notice. If planning is not in place, this transition can be awkward and it can appear that relief and recovery are at odds with each other.

A careful and detailed assessment is key, along with the significant involvement of implementers, suppliers, governments and community leaders. As much as possible, planning must include the beneficiaries who will receive the assistance. This is a slow and complicated process, but without it we end up with “doing it too them rather than with them.”

The success of transition from relief to recovery is more about planning and strategy than perhaps any other issue. It must take an eagle’s view of the process and not a squirrel’s view of the situation.

2010 brought huge disaster demand for SAWSO. What was the strategy following the first major earthquake this year?

The first step for our office was to assess how SAWSO could support and respond to the needs on the ground. Haitian disaster staff told us that food, water, medical and other supplies were urgently needed. At the same time, they indicated they were going to need qualified personnel to assist

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and support the local relief effort. Therefore, an Emergency Operations Center (EOC) was opened at SAWSO’s offices at National Headquarters to help respond to these requests.

SAWSO assembled a trained EOC disaster staff in crucial areas of disaster disciplines—logistics, personnel, administration, finance and operations.

How is SAWSO helping the relief phase in Haiti transition to recovery?

For example, SAWSO has been supporting a 20,000-member “displaced persons” camp located on a soccer field outside a Salvation Army compound in Port-au-Prince. It is not possible for people to live in this setting for an extended period, but the movement from this “tent city” to transitional or permanent housing involves extensive planning, community surveys, governmental policies, available funding and many other hidden factors.

People who are accustomed to living in a neighborhood are not readily willing to move away to another location and leave familiar areas, local employment, schools, clinics, family and friends.

However, they cannot stay in the camp because of health issues, weather, security and other factors.

SAWSO is developing a housing system to address a possible relocation plan for victims. This includes site plans, building materials, qualified construction staff, environmental concerns and other challenges. These elements must happen concurrently so that the moment plans are approved, we can respond.

We developed a qualified transitional housing team of logistics, planners, builders, operations and finance staff working behind the scenes to develop, purchase and implement the agreed upon plan.

Details—and action—on this plan will be available soon. n Lt. Col. Daniel Starrett is the executive director of The Salvation Army’s World Service Office (SAWSO), based at National Headquarters in Virginia.

Photos by Jeremy Watt

International Emergency Services Deploying the troops and providing support following disaster With a mandate to provide support BY in times of disaster to territories DREW whose resources and expertise may RUTHVEN be stretched beyond their normal capacity, The Salvation Army International Emergency Services (IES) came into being as a section of the program resources department at International Headquarters (IHQ) in 1995.

Following a disaster, IES mobilizes trained staff to advise and support the operation of any relief work as requested by the territory’s leaders.

The department also finds resources from around the Army world to help finance the response to a disaster situation.

Though it represents a worldwide team of personnel, the team at IHQ is made up of five people: a department head, three field workers (who are able to be deployed rapidly) and an office administrator.

Deployee database When approached by the territory in need of relief assistance, IES then assesses whom to deploy. If the intended response is large or prolonged, personnel are sent out to sustain the response operation and provide advice, direction and expertise in consultation with local Army staff and community leaders.

Over 1,000 people trained in disaster response are in our database, with a small percentage trained to lead a response. We have team members with skills in various areas, and depending on the needs of the disaster situation, we identify the person best suited to be deployed.

The database is maintained at IHQ, tracking who is sent where, the length of time they are in the situation and the training they have received.

At minimum, all deployees must be trained in the PREPARE management course. Assignments are usually for three months, and a person can only deploy once in any 12-month period to avoid extensive disruption to the team member’s family life and work/appointment.

In a disaster situation, IES only takes the lead

role when necessary, and refers the response back to the territory as soon as possible after training local personnel to take over responsibility.

Promote dignity The humanitarian aid community requires that minimum standards in response delivery be met—for example, the size and number of shelters we provide and conformity to internationally established standards of healthcare. Increasing interaction with international groups, such as the United Nations and International Red Cross, require transparent accountability and the highest level of integrity in dealing with people in any disaster situation. We are responsible to ensure that The Salvation Army acts within the charters it has signed and declared it will uphold. The ultimate aim is to promote the dignity of the individual in this situation.

Response in disaster situations is not limited by time; IES continues to help as long as the need persists or as long as we can resource a response.

Even after management of a situation is handed back to the territory, response is monitored until no longer necessary.

Current work The team can, with the approval of the General or the Chief of the Staff, respond to a disaster situation in a country where The Salvation Army has no presence. Iraq is the most recent example, as IES has been involved with the World Food Program in the distribution of food and continues to support a local NGO in the development of housing in the southern region.

Ongoing commitments include: Chile, Haiti, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Iraq, Guatemala, Northern India, Indonesia, Philippines and Taiwan. n Major Drew Ruthven is the emergency personnel officer for International Emergency Services, based at International Headquarters in London.

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Deployed for duty What a relief worker looks for after touching down in a disaster zone My life consists of disasters.

BY When you arrive in a recent disaster DAMARIS area, it is overwhelming. Everywhere FRICK you look: traumatized people; hungry people; injured people; unaccompanied children; undignified living conditions and a lack of shelters, toilets and blankets. The need seems to be everywhere and far too big for anyone to deal with.

Where do you start? What do you do? Can you actually make a difference?

When disaster strikes and relief workers are deployed, we focus on three primary elements: local personnel, the affected population and coordinating with other agencies.

On the ground The Salvation Army is fortunate—we have people on the ground around the world. They might not be experts in disaster management and they might be overwhelmed or affected themselves, but they are experts about the country and community. Our local people often react to a disaster immediately, long before the international staff can arrive in the country. Local colleagues are the first source of information, providing valuable knowledge and directing first explorations of affected communities.

In our role, it is crucial to get in touch with the affected population itself and not assume that we already know what people need and what is best for them. I’ve seen truckloads of clothes dumped in the road and food fed to the animals because the local people didn’t like it.

Those affected by disaster are not helpless victims; they have a lot of capacities, a lot to contribute and a right to be involved in decisions concerning their own destinies. We must respect local customs, preferences and wishes to promote the wellbeing of the people.

Coordinating in disaster After meeting with local Army personnel and getting a feel for the needs of the affected people, the next step is generally to find the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Its mandate and role is to ensure humanitarian workers respond coherently and establish a framework within which each group can contribute. OCHA aims to “alleviate human suffering in disasters and emergencies, advocate for the rights of people in need, promote preparedness and prevention and facilitate sustainable solutions,” according to its website.

The Salvation Army International Emergency Services is registered as soon as possible with OCHA. We then collect all existing relevant data and maps in relation to a specific disaster and determine the schedule for OCHA cluster meetings (such as food, shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, education, and protection). I attend the ones that might be relevant to our work for updates and new information.

Our obligation Every disaster is different and as a disaster relief worker, you have to be flexible, adaptable and willing to face the unexpected. Yet, the fundamental steps will always be needed to a certain extent once you hit the ground.

People facing disaster have a right to be assisted and we have an obligation to assist because they are human beings. n Damaris Frick is a disaster relief worker, based at International Headquarters in London. Most recently, Frick was deployed to Haiti.

Photo by Yves Montoban

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UPDATE: New York Ken Sanoguet of the Astoria Corps prepares outreach meals.

John Berglund serving in Haiti.

BY JOHN BERGLUND

Road rallies originated in Europe in the late 1800s, and with a faithful following throughout the world, continue to this day. Historically driven on public roads—on all types of surfaces, at all times of day and night and in all types of weather conditions—a road rally is a form of auto racing that focuses on navigation, precision and teamwork.

Created primarily for amateurs, it remains a popular event at the grassroots level of motor sports. But, due to the evolution of the cars, as well as the inherent dangers of racing, the sport requires continuous improvement, whether to advance as an avid enthusiast or to compete as a professional contender.

The emergency services rally that the Greater New York Division competes in involves “a high-density population with a concentrated infrastructure,” jargon for a challenging course.

And because this particular rally has national and international significance, it is not driving as usual. One must be mindful of the milestones, the

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iconic turning points that resulted in change. The Oklahoma City bombing (1995); the World Trade Center attack (2001); the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004); Hurricane Katrina (2005); and most recently, the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China (2010)— all became construction zones with caution signs regarding the road ahead. And, over these past 15 years, the spectators that line the roads to observe and critique have multiplied, along with their expectations.

Collaborations In a black and white photo circa 1950, a Salvation Army officer is serving hot coffee off an iciclecovered canteen on the corner of New York City’s 4th Street and Broadway to firemen deployed in the bitter cold of a dark winter night. Today in New York City, that historic niche—first on the scene, ministering to first responders and survivors— is outsourced through government funding.

Multilingual chaplains from every faith tradition are now deployed through agencies that specialize

THE POST-9/11 DECADE

Jean Arias, Ken Sanoguet, Adrian Bermeo and Jose Perez on street outreach in Queens, New York.

in disaster chaplaincy. Food service, although in high demand daily throughout New York City, is no longer requested to sustain first responders over a four-hour shift.

And, so it is with emergency services in the Greater New York Division; the rules of the road have changed.

Americans responded proudly to the tragedy of 9/11, and through their generosity came enough funding to spin local volunteer efforts into incorporated nonprofits—entities with well-crafted missions and inspired visions. Brilliant collaborations with exhaustive plans developed efforts that gained national recognition and provided good training materials. Due—thankfully—to a lack of subsequent disasters over the past nine years, New York City experienced another tragedy: the demise of these groups. No matter how valid the intent, with a lack of need for services, these agencies crashed and burned.

In New York City, the post-9/11 lesson is sustainable resource management.

Street outreach volunteer Adrian Bermeo

Scalability Metropolitan centers must be prepared for an incident of national significance, and an integral part of that preparedness rests upon the faith-based sector. Mandated by mission, faith communities must respond to an individual in need or a community in crisis, in addition to planning for the care of clients, employees and facilities. Within faith communities resides the selfless spirit that fuels the human services aspect of relief work, respects custom and culture, and promotes life with dignity.

How do faith communities stay in this rally when relief efforts are professionalized, and commitments to government are pledged in advance through qualified liaisons seated at the planning tables of every jurisdiction? This emergency services rally can easily become a race unto itself, and a costly endeavor to maintain, if not strategized properly.

A well-known rule of the road that does address the challenge of sustainable resource management derives from the Incident Command System (ICS)—a management tool where a set of positions,

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A proposed emergency services vehicle

policies and procedures are integrated into an organizational structure. The concept—flexible and modular organization—allows for scalability, a function that expands and contracts resources according to specific needs at a precise point in time.

Once applied, a wide horizontal landscape comes into focus, providing a more comprehensive view, rather than looking from a vertical perspective, as if in an urban canyon lined with silos.

Sustainable capacity In the Greater New York Division, emergency services is a systemic function rather than an optional program that competes for support.

The divisional landscape is assessed in order to build sustainable capacity. And, as strengths are identified, a flexible and modular organization starts to take shape. Teamwork is exercised daily rather than waiting for the next disaster, and training is applicable now, addressing the challenge of attrition.

Facilities are identified as strategic response and recovery centers; personnel who service individuals in crisis are utilized to service communities in crisis; corps kitchens that feed hundreds per day are enhanced to feed thousands per day; canteens operate daily to serve day laborers and the homeless; and department heads collaborate to streamline services. Slowly, as the horizon comes into view, the silos disappear.

This road map to recruit rally teams who can navigate with precision is identical to the one that

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helped Salvationists in the late 1800s work as one.

In 2008, every Salvation Army corps community center in New York City (NYC) was designated by the city’s Office of Emergency Management as official “cooling centers”—places where the public can go for emergency relief during summer heat waves. In 2009, a corporate gift enabled the Greater New York Division to provide 10,000 meals in 10 corps facilities on Thanksgiving Day, which was a mass feeding exercise conducted by emergency services and monitored by the NYC Office of Emergency Management. In 2010, a private foundation gift funded the purchase of six emergency vehicles, outfitted specifically for the city. These new Freightliner Sprinter vans will be assigned to corps facilities engaged in daily emergency services with a commitment to community response. And in 2011, an emergency feeding program for youth is on the docket to address an epidemic in the Bronx—hunger, nutrition and obesity.

All of these “incidents” build local capacity— sustainable capacity—by engaging and exercising all available resources now for much larger emergencies in the future. n John Berglund is the emergency services director in the U.S. Eastern Territory’s Greater New York Division.

Photos by Craig Finikin Rendering courtesy of the Greater New York Division

BY KELLY PONTSLER

Tracking people served and services provided is second nature to Salvationists. Recording and reporting have been part of our heritage and practice since the Army’s inception. We’re good at it! But, I have to confess, sitting in a hot, humid, dusty, makeshift office in Port-au-Prince on the first day of my four-week deployment to Haiti, I wondered why we bothered. Surrounded by people still reeling from the shock of the massive earthquake in January 2010, there were more important things to do than count boxes of food, right?

I wore two hats during my stay in Haiti, taking the lead for both office administration and public information. Among my tasks was accumulating information from those supervising and directing the distribution of services and goods, and then compiling it for general circulation. Being in my first emergency relief deployment, I quickly realized that any day where we were able to keep up with the pace of the unfolding need was an extraordinary day. Decisionmaking and action initiation in those earliest days of disaster response happens fast and furiously. What’s the need? What do we have? Where is it now? How do we get it to the place it needs to be? And somewhere in the middle of a quick huddle of the team, someone needs to have the numbers. Someone needs to know how much we have and how many people need it.

The people The primary driver for counting must be the people we serve.

“The humanitarian charter…that guides so much of our practical work reminds us that we don’t help people because we are nice people, or because the public might love us for doing it,” wrote Major Cedric Hills (who was incident commander for program when I landed in Haiti), in a recent exchange of e-mails.

“We help because people in disasters have a right to assistance and we take all steps to ensure we support and advocate for that right.”

Knowing the numbers is essential if we are going to get people in need linked to the services or goods that are available. On a practical level, that means knowing how many people you are going to serve in a given distribution and ensuring that every person gets served. That might appear simple, but it actually requires careful planning.

Pulling up with a truckload of food and water, rolling up the back door and passing it out on any street corner might seem like Mme Julbert, the first person through the line with a tracking card.

COUNTING COUNTS Engaging in more effective delivery of services

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V S Capturing data using the TrackPad system.

a great idea, but panic and chaos ensue as people swarm around the vehicle. People get hurt as they are caught in the pressing crowd. And in the end, those with the most serious need often end up with nothing in hand. It was a mistake the Army avoided.

Distributions work best when people are identified to us, treated with respect and there is product enough to serve everyone equally.

TrackPad In Port-au-Prince, a ration card system was quickly devised to streamline the distribution.

In the beginning, that consisted of a Salvation Army letterhead envelope with a hand-written identification number and family name. As those disintegrated in the humidity, they were replaced with 3-inch by 5-inch cards carrying the same information. Assorted rubber stamps indicated that the family passed through the distributions. But the cards were short-lived in the Haitian climate and improvised living conditions.

In a burst of brilliant thinking, Craig Arnold (a United Parcel Service employee and life-long Salvationist) realized there was a better way. Through his connections, Arnold acquired the donation of a UPS TrackPad system. Two hand-held scanners, several boxes of plastic cards with a Red Shield and bar code, and a laptop to drive the system arrived in Portau-Prince with software modified specifically for our purposes. With a few quick lessons, we mastered the process. It was suddenly possible to know with the click of a button who was served and what they received. A few more clicks and we had a summary listing of an entire distribution.

I will never forget the look on the face of the first

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woman through the line the day we went live on the system. She beamed as she held up her card with her family name. There was no doubt in her mind: she would be served that day! A simple plastic card with a bar code added a measure of dignity and calm to the process—both profound and essential under a broiling Haitian sun!

More effective The numbers are staggering in a disaster response of any size. In Haiti, a single distribution could push out over 250,000 meals in a four-hour period, and up to 1 million in a week. In that context, monitoring the consumption of a few bottles of water or a handful of granola bars stored in the incident command office suddenly becomes less impactful. Yet, if we’re not careful, we can easily get so fastidious about counting everything that it is all we focus on, and we can lose sight of the bigger picture and purpose of doing good.

My experience in Haiti reinforced my belief that things should be counted to the extent that it helps us accomplish the mission better, more efficiently and more effectively. People should be counted because we strive to keep the “human” in our humanitarian work. The truth is, counting helps us to remain accountable to those who provide the resources that fuel the mission, as well as to those we serve. n Major Kelly Pontsler is the general secretary and San Francisco metro coordinator in the U.S. Western Territory’s Golden State Division.

Photos by Damaris Frick and Kelly Pontsler

S

VIRTUALL Y STOCKED

SHELVES ONLINE SALES TURN A PROFIT FOR THE ARCS Don’t judge a book by its cover, just BY scan the ISBN. CHRISTIN At one time, large cardboard boxes DAVIS full of discarded books sat on the floor of Salvation Army thrift stores, gathering dust and offering pages of narrative and information for a mere 25 to 50 cents.

Today, 10 Adult Rehabilitation Centers (ARCs) in the West scan donated books and post those worth a dollar or more on popular websites like amazon.com, alibris.com, half.com and abebooks. com. Three additional centers send sellable books to neighboring ARCs to post online.

Along with the sale of donated clothing and goods, the profit from the online book sales helps the Western Territory operate 22 ARCs that assist men and women recovering from addictions.

Total online book sales from fiscal year 2009 (October 1 to September 30) amounted to nearly $3.8 million. In the first nine months of fiscal year 2010, gross sales equaled nearly $2.8 million.

Sacramento Econgo Books began at the Sacramento, California, ARC in 2008 as a vision of then administrator Captain Eric Wilkerson, who is now the administrator in Portland, Oregon, which

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operates its own online book sales program. Econgo Books generated just over $385,000 of sales in its first year and now sells roughly 8,000 books per month via the Internet.

Supervisor James Parrish uploads 400 new books a day to be sold online. Four ARC beneficiaries help in the process: two of the men sort through roughly 5,000 incoming books a day using a handheld PDA to scan the ISBN and display its worth according to Mediascouter. Books worth a dollar or more move on to two more men who check for markings and process the books, posting comments on any wearand-tear for potential readers. They generate an online listing for the book and a SKU (stock keeping unit) number. The book is then placed on a virtual bookshelf. Parrish applies a pricing strategy to all the books before uploading them to the websites.

“This has been an experience that I am really proud of,” said Parrish, who built the online book sales program in Sacramento. “I know the money goes to a good cause and I’m working with the hardest working gentlemen.

“The key is to keep up with quality control,” Parrish said. “One bad comment out of 100 will hurt you.”

On Amazon, the group is rated “high,” with over 35,000 items currently for sale.

If a book is not sold online after 90 days, it is flushed out, but Parrish said no book is ever thrown into a landfill. For those that are not sold or posted online, some are sent to the stores, others are sold in bulk for $20-50 per 1,000 pounds, and some are sold to paper mills.

Anaheim Operating out of the Anaheim, California, ARC since 2006, Elistics completes fulfillment of 450-600

Captain Eric Wilkerson explains the book organization system at the Portland, Oregon, ARC.

orders a day and monitors an 80,000-piece online inventory with nine female beneficiaries and one employed supervisor.

“I’m here because I’m a recovering addict,” said Carmen Gonzalez, online book sales supervisor in Anaheim. “I graduated in 2003, but took on this job two years ago because I feel like I have to give back.

I stay here because I have to help these women. We don’t just work here; we also talk because I’ve been where they are. I want to help.”

In addition to books, about 15 percent of the 80,000-piece inventory is comprised of media including records, compact discs and DVDs. In fiscal year 2009, Elistics sold over $900,000 of items—putting it in the number one slot out of the ARCs that sell books and media online.

The thousands of books discarded each day are not only finding new readers, but are helping The Salvation Army change lives. n Christin Davis is the managing editor of Caring.

Photos by Christin Davis

Centers with online book sales programs: Anaheim Portland Denver Riverside County Fresno Sacramento Phoenix

San Diego San Francisco Seattle

Additionally, the Long Beach, Santa Monica and Stockton centers send books to neighboring ARCs.

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UPDATE: The South Pacific and East Asia

Tsunami in 2004

On December 26, 2004—when the troubled waters of the Indian Ocean rose against Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand—the suffering was as nothing experienced for generations. Following an underwater 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, waves up to 100 feet high blasted the coastline, killing over 230,000 people and leaving 500,000 homeless in 14 countries.

The Salvation Army, like many others, responded to the cries for help. Roughly $43 million of support was mobilized for the Army’s work in hardest hit Indonesia to rebuild homes, schools, livelihoods and infrastructure.

More than five years later, the relief work continues.

BY JONATHAN HIBBERTHINGSTON

Troubled waters On a humid evening in Medan, the regional capital of Sumatra, Indonesia, I discussed the ongoing tsunami work with Major Marthen Pandorante, divisional commander, and Yoppy Simanjuntak, coordinator of projects in Indonesia for Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO).

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UPDATE: The South Pacific and East Asia

Extreme factions within the Muslim community began extending Syariah law and declared the disaster a judgment from God for the pride of the people. But, as Simanjuntak observed, in troubled times doors are opened. The Salvation Army built 500 houses for the community in Leuhan. As the project progressed, other needs were identified, such as the inability to cross a large river between the village and the market—the Army built a bridge.

A mobile library, sponsored by funds from the Hong Kong and Macau territory, is simply a van with covers on the side to conceal bookshelves with a variety of children’s books. With these books, kids are able to read in English as well as local languages.

The van drives to communities and opens up a new world of reading for children. The visits are often tied with those by the Army’s mobile medical clinic so that children and adults can be served intellectually while waiting to be served medically.

“There are more than 10,000 people living in the area and in the Islamic Relief complex,” Pandorante said. “They are on very meager salaries and cannot even afford healthcare for their children.”

The Salvation Army hopes to build relationships with businesses to provide affordable healthcare.

“The doors are still open for us if we decide to stay,” he said.

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Request to stay When working in areas with extreme cultural and religious views, in political systems reeling from the shock of disaster and the influx of aid, the problems are frequent, many and complex. The projects are not always a success. We sometimes forget the emotional and psychological impact these disasters have on members of the Army, and the confusion and conflicting priorities that stakeholders can bring. However, The Salvation Army is determined to overcome the problems and continue to build bridges.

Commissioner Barry Pobje, international secretary for the Europe Zone at International Headquarters before retiring in June 2010, recently visited the local government in Aceh. After Pobje’s speech, the governor of Aceh stood and requested that The Salvation Army stay for another 10 years.

The fighting spirit of these soldiers and the impact they have made will outlast any project or program. n Jonathan Hibbert-Hingston is the community development coordinator for the South Asia and South Pacific and East Asia Zones, based at International Headquarters in London.

Photos by Jonathan Hibbert-Hingston and Marthen Pandorante

In recent days Typhoons, tsunamis, flooding and earthquakes in 2009-2010

Flooding in the Philippines

BY ROBERT STREET

Late 2009 saw unprecedented natural disasters in the South Pacific and East Asia Zone, which was swiftly dubbed “the disaster zone.” At an alarming rate, the toll in human misery, devastation and death grew—and Salvation Army relief workers were rushed off their feet.

In less than a year, the area has experienced multiple typhoons and tsunamis, as well as extensive flooding.

First, Typhoon Morakot centred on Taiwan on August 7, 2009, and brought about the worst flooding in decades, claiming more than 160 lives, washing out roads, snapping 44 bridges and sending houses crashing into rivers. It was terrifying in its strength. The Salvation Army’s personnel— though few in number, with only 14 officers on the island— responded immediately.

Major Mike Coleman, regional commander, initiated aid to aboriginal villagers overwhelmed by a landslide in Nantou County, while issuing assistance to victims in Tainan County, desperate for running water and medical supplies.

The enormity of the challenge was apparent as 25,000 people had been displaced on the island.

Hit again Typhoon Ketsana (also known as Ondoy) passed over the

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UPDATE: The South Pacific and East Asia

Examining a damaged house following an earthquake in Indonesia.

Philippines on September 25, 2009, and brought the worst rainfall to the capital of Manila among recorded typhoons, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

Initially, Ondoy brought 12 hours of non-stop rain, flooding all roads in metro Manila. The waters rose rapidly, and thousands of dwellings were swept away. People clung to each other as they balanced on debris floating through floodwaters rushing through the city. Hundreds lost their lives in a matter of hours, though accurate numbers of those who perished are impossible to acquire. Salvationists, ready to bring aid, were themselves stranded.

Areas outside of Manila were swiftly cut off by floods, with the same kind of devastation. Families were evacuated to the officer training college in Tanay, as the loss of life continued in the wake of raging waters.

Salvationist involvement took many forms.

Distribution of food, blankets, clothes, mats and medicine proved hazardous, especially where power cables had fallen, but rescue services continued their mission, trying to reach the thousands cut off from any aid.

While rescue work was still underway, the typhoon swung into the Pangasinan region, causing more havoc and loss of life. The Northern Luzon Divisional Headquarters was quickly under water, as were seven corps buildings—some having just been renovated.

It was estimated that six million people were displaced in the Philippines during this period.

Major Daryl Crowden, from the Australian

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Southern Territory, provided key coordination of the relief effort.

Days later, on September 29, an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Samoan Islands, generating a tsunami that caused substantial damage and loss of life in Samoa, American Samoa and Tonga.

On September 30, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake hit off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, claiming roughly 1,500 lives. With much Salvation Army rebuilding of homes still underway following the 2004 tsunami in the area, we had to cope with nearly 300,000 additional houses damaged and an estimated 1,250,000 people displaced or affected.

Smile In this area of the world that experiences frequent natural disasters, the rebuilding work is ongoing, thanks to the generosity of financial and personnel assistance from around the Army world.

Yet one photographer, trying to record something of the devastation in the Philippines, said, “It’s difficult getting pictures showing misery, because these people bounce back so quickly. In spite of their sorrows, they know how to smile their way through.”

Despite the devastation, there is much that inspires, too. n Commissioner Robert Street is the international secretary for the South Pacific and East Asia Zone, based at International Headquarters in London.

Photos courtesy of the South Pacific and East Asia Zone

OPENING THE DOOR The Salvation Army works for the newly poor

Stacey fidgeted in the side chair, uncomfortable in this BY alien setting and with her own sense of uncertainty—even GARY embarrassment. By the time she called The Salvation Army, HAUPT she was desperate. Her nerves eased a bit when case manager

Crystal, sitting across from her and flashing her signature smile, addressed Stacey reassuringly by name.

Stacey’s story has become a familiar one.

The family had become homeless, ultimately crammed into a cheap hotel for more than a year; their steady but small income could not muster the funds to secure a real home. Stacey’s family, unaccustomed to the sting of need, became another statistic of the financial crisis. They were among the “newly poor.”

They might have remained so but for The Salvation Army in Baltimore, Maryland. Crystal assembled services tailored to address Stacey’s need, including funds from a well-known federal assistance program.

“It was The Salvation Army who finally understood our problem and really, truly helped us,” Stacey said, but the real power in her statement is the silent story behind the story. Neither Crystal nor Stacey could have known what transpired barely 50 miles down Interstate 95, across the

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Any caseworker and corps officer could readily share instances of families rescued from the precipice of financial ruin.

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Potomac River, in Washington only months before.

Pointed questions Major Betty Israel, national social services secretary, velcroed her attention to the voices emerging from her telephone. The conference call included representatives of major nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and of a certain federal government agency. The previous year, funding for the program that helped Stacey had been increased by $100 million to assist victims of the economic collapse. But, this year the program’s budget would eliminate $100 million—at a time when the economic downturn ballooned the need among both the chronic and newly poor.

The government’s representative nonchalantly announced the reduction, obscuring it in rapid bureau-speak and multi-pointed outlines. Israel’s pointed questions revealed the truth, however, and encouraged the other NPOs to object. The funds were shortly restored. With the program’s rescue, Stacey’s family was kept afloat.

Door to influence The drama of Stacey’s family and the work of caseworker Crystal are repeated 10,000-fold in Salvation Army centers of service across the nation, both in times of economic calamity and in times of prosperity. Any caseworker and corps officer could readily share instances of families rescued from the precipice of financial ruin.

However, few know the critical role of advocate for the poor played by National Headquarters (NHQ) in the theater of national policy.

Israel’s opportunity to shape the nation’s social policy response to personal financial tragedies is typical of the interplay between NHQ staff and key actors on the policy stage. Whether through participation in formal conferences and high profile hearings, or through informal and unheralded conversations, the door to influence opens often briefly and must be breached with speed and skill.

With corporate retrenchment and collapse producing months of double-digit unemployment and consumers reluctant to spend beyond the essentials, millions have learned the near impossibility of stretching a dollar in an inelastic economy. Thousands of persons— formerly Salvation Army donors—now find themselves clients, unenthusiastic initiates into the newly poor. Our need to breach the door to influence is vital.

The advocacy conducted at NHQ is one view of The Salvation Army’s response to the economic crisis, manifesting the first key characteristic of that response: sensitivity to God’s timing. The ability of The Salvation Army to respond quickly and decisively to Godoffered opportunity is an advantage of considerable value. A second valuable characteristic is evidenced by the deeply personal connection between Crystal and Stacey. That is, The Salvation Army is ubiquitous.

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With 7,821 centers of operation throughout the United States, meaningful contact with The Salvation Army is a short walk or ride away.

Thousands of

Faith stimulus The severity and unprecedented nature of the economic crisis has required unprecedented solutions. From this environment a third key characteristic of The Salvation Army’s response is unambiguous: unbridled creativity. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the approach taken by the Central Territory.

Then Territorial Commander Commissioner Barry Swanson initiated a novel and painstaking investigation of a comprehensive response on multiple levels. First, a multi-day economic summit emerged with 62 individuals representing several disciplines and levels of administration; later, the territorial executive committee conducted a refining process. An expansive plan resulted to address social services, corps and headquarters operations.

More than a cost containment model, it dared to propose realignment of operating units, restructuring of staffing models, and an aggressive $3.4 million incentive program for corps fundraising and imaginative social services efforts. Dubbed a “Faith Stimulus Package” in early 2009, the plan sought to serve the newly unemployed and those in chronic poverty.

In retrospect, Commissioner Carol Seiler, current territorial leader with her husband Paul, put it well: “[We] absolutely needed to be there for the newly unemployed without jeopardizing work with the chronic homeless.”

persons—formerly Salvation Army donors—now find themselves clients, unenthusiastic initiates into the newly poor.

Always working The Army’s response to the economic crisis displays a fourth characteristic: anticipating the unexpected. Successful Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) is as much anticipating the storm as chasing it. Even in prosperous times, the poor are disproportionately affected by disaster. A natural or man-made calamity during economic crisis can bring lasting devastation to countless lives already living a personal disaster.

“The greatest challenge in a disaster is…poverty,” said Jeff Jellets, Southern Territorial disaster coordinator. “Individuals who are barely getting by day-to-day have no safety nets.”

While details may yet be formed, one reality is without doubt: The Salvation Army will be there—serving, sweating, occasionally weeping, certainly praying and always working.

Stacey would expect it. n Lt. Colonel Gary W. Haupt is the national treasurer and secretary for business administration, based at National Headquarters in Virginia.

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UPDATE: New Orleans

One of the greatest compliments BY you can receive in New Orleans is to be ETHAN asked, “Are you from here?”

FRIZZELL The Salvation Army considers it a tribute to reflect those that we have grown to love. Our neighbors, our fellow laborers and our community are all a part of the Army family.

Officers, soldiers and friends of the Army have shared such great compassion that there is a kindred relationship with the community. How great is your testimony when you walk through a neighborhood and residents stop to thank you for furniture or a meal.

New Orleanians have a spirit and fellowship that has made our city the nation’s city, a favorite of the world. How beautiful is the “second line,” jazz and an evening meal where fellowship allows the hours to slip by? I am thankful that the people of our community are children of God with a unique

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understanding of life and neighbor.

Sharing talents In New Orleans, Katrina uncovered a number of social ills: a failing education system, blight, broken people hidden from tourists and a lack of resources to meet human need. The national funding response expects not only a restored community, but a renewed community. “Doing the Most Good” for others calls us to involvement in an education system that expects that children know the rewards of attendance and character, in neighborhoods that celebrate human capacity more than vulnerability, and in programs that serve persons experiencing homelessness by recognizing that no one chooses despair and, thus, hope must be connected to opportunities.

In a time when people are looking for meaning— within the community, the church and themselves—

HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005; OIL SPILL IN 2010 The Salvation Army continues to be used by God to call every generation into the fight. The Army’s recovery projects have used the talents and gifts of interns from around the country and throughout the world. Students and professionals share talents because they believe that better is possible. They have the fortitude to fight in many languages of recovery, including urban planning, architecture, economics, community capacity, social networks, social influence and the common language of love. New Orleans is continually inspired by the participation of a generation of young students and professionals who have great expectation of what can be and the commitment to bring it to fruition. To this group we are indebted.

Commitment in despair “Others” is The Salvation Army’s call and commitment in the midst of despair. By the power, grace and movement of Jesus Christ, all people may become one with a single heart for others.

The people of Greater New Orleans are forever humbled and grateful for others whom the Lord moved to serve compassionately with money, time and resources following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

People like Majors Mel and Esther James arrived in New Orleans after Katrina from Clearwater, Florida, to assist for “a couple of weeks.” They quickly noticed the need for intentional emotional and spiritual care for relief workers and the community. The pair led the effort to visit every New Orleans address, integrate pastoral ministry in every program and provide a listening ear for recollection of horrible days. Majors James remain full of joy, share words of encouragement and fulfill promises of prayer while always serving physical human needs.

Majors James have represented thousands of officers, staff, volunteers, donors, partners and friends that made a difference through The Salvation Army’s recovery service in New Orleans.

To each one, on behalf of a thankful city, we thank you.

Moved It is now five years since Katrina, two since Gustav, and now the spilling oil causes despair in the Gulf once again. Uncertain times humble people before God and make them one. I am confident of this: God is faithful and so is the population who serves in response to his call. While a Salvation Army flag waves in this city, the Lord will use us.

A prayer is answered with every dollar spent in Gulf Coast recovery. We know that people sat at kitchen tables around the country, bowed their heads and allowed compassion to inspire a gift through The Salvation Army to assist those in need. The Salvation Army fights for the renewal of people, a city and a region because of those prayers, those gifts. What a mighty God we serve who can move people to serve the needs of others.

We fight by the compassion of others for the benefit of others. n Captain Ethan Frizzell is the New Orleans area commander in the U.S. Southern Territory. Read about the Army’s EnviRenew program in New Orleans in the spring 2010 issue of Caring.

Photos by Christin Davis

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Gone are the days of waiting to send out a daily press release.

BY When the first images of the Haiti quake emerged, I knew JENNIFER that this would be a major news story for the coming days and BYRD that The Salvation Army’s National Community Relations and

Development (CRD) department would need to provide updates in real time.

For the first time in our public relations disaster response, social media took center stage.

Despite the urgency for information, the familiar sense of purpose remained—to help raise the national profile of one of the world’s largest charities, one uniquely positioned to help people across the globe.

Contacting sources on the ground When the first news reports broke, we began receiving calls from national media outlets that needed to find an eyewitness—immediately. But how do you reach someone when a country’s infrastructure has been destroyed? Skype!

Our communications team and the stateside disaster response team held a conference call and determined a strategy: gather information about what happened, determine how The Salvation Army will respond and decide how best to communicate this information to the world.

We contacted Bob Poff, disaster services director for The Salvation Army in Haiti, through his Skype handle. With direct access to an eyewitness who was prepared to speak publicly, we arranged Skype interviews with Poff and major media outlets, including CNN and ABC News. Poff knew how to tell a story, describe the action and deliver a message.

Over the course of two weeks of initial media response and engagement,

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we handled more than 100 media requests from local, national and international media outlets.

Within a few days, the Internet connection became steady enough for Poff to do webcam video interviews. To watch Poff be interviewed

by CNN’s Larry King via Skype—and hear about the work of the Army on a national cable news show—gave me goosebumps.

as the story unfolds spearheading info with social media

Building a community Facebook became our vehicle for providing real time updates and getting information online as quickly as possible. For the past year, we have been building the national CRD presence on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube and the blog. Now it was time to test their mettle.

For the first time in my career, I was directing reporters and donors to social media for the most updated information. We posted several dozen live updates about the response in Haiti and confirmed more than 4,300 “click-thrus” to various blog posts. Several national news stories originated from posts on our blog.

We updated the national Facebook page several times a day with new information on disaster response and picked up roughly 3,000 “fans”—by far the quickest jump since the page was created. We drove significant traffic to The Salvation Army in Haiti Facebook fan page, confirming more than 7,000 click-thrus and also gaining several thousand fans. National media, including ABC News and MSNBC, utilized amateur video and photos from Salvation Army Haiti Facebook pages in their coverage.

We “tweeted” up to 10 times a day with updated information about the Army’s earthquake response, and the information was re-tweeted dozens of times by others on Twitter.

As the crisis wore on, a community began to build online around these sites. The world viewed photos and video from Haiti and people were moved to action. Thousands sent messages of hope and support; many sent money and donations. FedEx and UPS signed on to help.

The Coleman Company sent tents. WalMart sent water. Volunteers packed millions of meals, and continue to do so.

At a lightening pace, and with multiple stories on major networks both nationally and internationally, The Salvation Army sent out a consistent message: We are helping the people of Haiti and we need donations to continue our efforts.

Slowing momentum Then as quickly as it started, the momentum slowed. The media calls became less frequent. The Salvation Army’s relief efforts transitioned from immediate response to long-term planning. The daily meetings turned into bi-weekly ones, and the daily press release became weekly. Almost, just like that, it was done. The Salvation Army continues to help thousands in Haiti every day, but the media was on to a different story. We started working on other issues. We had made it through.

And then an earthquake hit Chile… n Jennifer Byrd is the national public relations director for The Salvation Army in the United States.

Photo by Jeremy Watt

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UPDATE: Haiti

Since the devastating earthquake on BY January 12, 2010, which left 3 million LINDSAY people in need of emergency aid, The ROWE Salvation Army has been working to

rebuild a better Haiti. Local Salvationists and officers—wounded healers who had themselves been injured and lost their homes—immediately provided food, water and first aid from severely damaged Army facilities.

In the early stages of disaster relief, our response focused on a large group of 20,000 people that had taken up residence at the Place de la Paix and nearby soccer field next door to the Port-au-Prince Central Corps and Divisional Headquarters (DHQ). As camp managers, our primary role was to facilitate communication, provide daily essentials and improve the immediate living conditions in the new community. This included: •

Mass food distribution on a weekly basis.

•

Distributing non-food items, such as tarps, tents, rope, water cans and hygiene kits.

•

Working with other agencies to address the need for water, sanitation and hygiene including setting up water bladders to provide access to clean water for cooking and drinking, installing showers and toilets and improving drainage in the camp.

•

Caring for over 300 injured/sick people per day in a field clinic.

•

Starting “cash for work” programs to provide day labor; designed to complete projects and create an infusion of cash into the community.

•

Camp security, provided by a team of 18 security members.

All Salvation Army action is conducted with the help of a committee of six women and 10 men who are camp residents. They function in an advocacy role and help to ensure effective communication in the camp.

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Recovery plans Relief work is also taking place in Jacmel and Petit-Goˆave where food and non-food items are distributed. Migration out of Port-au-Prince has become a concern in these areas. By providing supplies and creating cash for work programs we offer support to those families who have opened their homes to additional individuals.

The focus is now shifting from relief to recovery.

While general food distributions are no longer held, food is still distributed to the more vulnerable members of the target population including the elderly, handicapped, pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Management will continue in Place de la Paix and work to elevate its standard of living. In addition, we have created a strategy for moving forward. One clear goal is the relocation of displaced persons. This may involve returning them to their own homes if declared safe or moving to transitional housing. In both Jacmel and Petit-Goˆave, work progresses on transitional shelter projects with a view to build as many as 3,500 homes. Currently, 576 long-term, intermediary housing shelters are complete with more underway. More than 400 Hatians were hired as crew members to assist in the reconstruction efforts.

Plans for the future are motivated by a desire to build a more resilient and empowered community.

The following projects have been developed and submitted for international funding:

1. Children and young people support

program: to help young people effectively deal with trauma, emotional stress and impoverished living conditions following the earthquake.

2. Community development support program: to build the capacity of officers and others in the Haiti Division to work more effectively with communities.

3. Integrated family support program: to

strengthen and achieve coordination of the

7.0 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IN 2010 Haiti Division’s support of vulnerable families and children.

4. School infrastructure support program:

The Army operates 45 schools in Haiti with over 10,000 students. Most of these schools are in need of extensive repairs. Special attention will be given to the disabled in this project.

5. Primary healthcare center and service

support program: The Salvation Army has operated a health facility in Port-au-Prince for the past 40 years. The clinic building has now been condemned. The clinic played a crucial role during the earthquake emergency phase. These services will continue from a temporary facility for approximately two years, until a new facility is built.

6. Post-earthquake emotional and spiritual support and relationship building: to provide training and resources to officers

and corps members to deal with the fears, insecurities and emotional struggles of community members within corps activities.

7. College Verena/Fort National schools

support program: The Salvation Army and support agencies have provided educational services to 1,500 children in the communities of Delmas and Fort National for 31 years. New facilities and improved programs are planned in both areas.

Plans are also being designed for a new corps building that will seat 3,000 people. The old corps building was home to 1,500 members, and more than 1,000 new converts have been reported in Haiti since the earthquake. Additionally, plans are in place for a new DHQ building to replace the one severely damaged in the quake. n Lt. Colonel Lindsay Rowe is the chief secretary in the Caribbean Territory, which includes Haiti.

The view on the ground Relationships, reputation and real estate BY CEDRIC HILLS

It’s hard to describe the sense of purpose, urgency and calling that you find within a group of committed Salvation Army emergency workers.

In Haiti, many experienced their first overseas deployment and discovered what it’s like to work outside of your own culture; battling with language challenges and the frustration of not having resources and facilities like they have “back home.” Others were veterans of many international responses, still driven by that same motivation to serve suffering humanity.

Within The Salvation Army, we have long known and valued the qualities of established relationships

and reputation. But the Haiti response reminded me of another blessing possessed by The Salvation Army—real estate.

Gap of unity Divisional Headquarters’ (DHQ) 8-foot-high concrete perimeter wall, which normally provided protection and security in that challenging district of St. Martin, fell down in the quake. The huge holes opened the way for survivors to flood into the compound, setting up temporary shelter wherever a secure space could be found. They sensed that within those walls they would find safety—medical help and care. Our presence in Port-au-Prince

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UPDATE: Haiti extends back 60 years. For many decades, the Army has lived, worked and ministered in this community. I often heard Divisional Commander Major Lucienne Lamartinierre refer to those many survivors who spontaneously settled within the compound and on the soccer pitch behind as “our people.”

When the international team arrived, one of the first tasks at hand was to repair the wall and renew the security protection. The contractor made quick progress—but on inspecting the supposedly finished job, a 12-foot-wide section at the back of the compound was found to be missing. When questioned, he replied, “If I finish the wall it will seem as if I am separating the Army from the people—I fear I will be lynched!” With the Lamartinierre’s blessing, the gap remained.

The sense of unity with the people was a priority of much greater importance than the potential security benefits of a sealed wall.

Valuable relationships The value of having an immediate base of operation was apparent. The former DHQ offices became an emergency command center, and the small clinic expanded into the school building.

Classrooms became medical theaters and provided accommodation for team members. A number of partner agencies were grateful for our established real estate and infrastructure. Many agencies struggled to establish a place from which to set up their operations, but we were blessed to move rapidly ahead and within two weeks we exceeded the one million meals served mark.

This achievement happened because of relationships and reputation. The Salvation Army’s esteem should never be taken for granted; relationships with partners and supporters, generated over many years, proved so valuable in this Haiti response.

As Numana food supplies arrived in the country, the challenge was to get them out to the people in a safe and appropriate way. Teams of local, young Salvationists were recruited and trained to go into the now heavily congested camps and register the families. They worked tirelessly in terrible conditions and within days had a complete list of beneficiaries drafted and family ration cards distributed.

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Major Cedric Hills assists with water distribution.

Still, the desperation of the people and the lack of vehicles and warehousing meant we faced a huge challenge. The U.S. 82nd Airborne had been deployed by the U.S. government. I’ll never forget the afternoon when a group of heavily protected and (to my British eyes) rather intimidating soldiers walked, unannounced, into the command center and offered whatever help we needed. With their expertise and resources, we mobilized distributions on a scale we could otherwise only have dreamed of.

Relationships, reputation and real estate—a trinity of blessings that have been hard won and perhaps painstakingly and carefully nurtured. I reflect with gratitude that they came together in Haiti for the benefit of those so terribly impacted by the earthquake and for the glory and honor of God in his service. n Major Cedric Hills is the corps officer at Portsmouth Citadel in Portsmouth, England, and formerly served as The Salvation Army’s international emergency services coordinator.

Photo by John Berglund

A ticket out Yuma Salvation Army helps released inmates start off right BY MELISSA AXMAN

The Salvation Army has long been involved with prison ministry across the United States, but in Yuma County, Arizona, corps officers Captains Jonathan and Vickie Harvey responded to a unique request to assist newly released inmates.

In 2008, Domingo Moreno III, community correction liaison for the Arizona State Prison in Yuma, approached the corps with a need: clothing and transportation for newly released inmates. Before severe budget cuts, the state of Arizona required correction facilities to provide civilian clothing to inmates upon release. Moreno was tasked with finding outside agencies to fill this void. When he began to call non-profit agencies in the community, he said one of the first organizations he thought of was the Army.

“The Salvation Army has a strong presence in Yuma; I knew I could count on them for help,” Moreno said.

Captain Vickie Harvey said she and her husband knew this was an opportunity to change lives and form a lasting partnership with the Yuma Correction Facility.

“During these hard times, organizations and government agencies have to work together,” she said. “When we do so, we all will achieve more for our country, our respective states and the communities we serve. Ultimately, the people we reach out to in Christ’s name every day are the real winners.”

Back to the community Through donations provided to the Yuma family store, the Army in Yuma supplies Moreno with the needed clothing. Each month, Moreno visits the Yuma family store to shop for new items to maintain a fully stocked clothing closet at the prison with an array of sizes and styles.

“The clothing provided by The Salvation Army has saved the state thousands of dollars,” he said.

“We are so grateful for their continued support.”

Left to right: Domingo Moreno, Eva Partida and Captain Vickie Harvey

The Yuma Correction Facility publicly thanked the corps recently for their services and presented the Yuma County Salvation Army, and caseworker Eva Partida, with an award for gracious and understanding support to the State of Arizona Department of Corrections and the Released Back to Their Communities program.

In addition to clothing, The Salvation Army also provides bus tickets when needed so released inmates can travel to the assigned parole officer. Over 20 individuals have now received transportation through the corps.

“The beneficiaries of this service are extremely grateful,” Harvey said. “Many have told us that if it weren’t for The Salvation Army, they would be stuck in Yuma.”

With received donations, the Yuma County Salvation Army is saving taxpayer money and providing hope to men who are on a path to building a new life. n Melissa Axman is the community relations director for the City of Phoenix Administration in the U.S. Western Territory’s Southwest Division.

Photo by Hilda Ibarra

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BY RAELTON GIBBS

UPDATE: Chile

I stood on the beach with a fisherman, who said nothing while staring out to sea. His boat—and means to earn a livelihood—sat in shambles. The sardine season, which provides most of his annual income and only lasts for three months, had just begun.

The man’s boat was destroyed by a tsunami wave that followed the fifth largest earthquake in the world since 1900. On February 27, 2010, this powerful earthquake struck Chile, rating a magnitude of 8.8 and lasting 90 seconds. According to a NASA report, seismologists estimate that the earthquake was so powerful that it may have shortened the length of the day by 1.26 microseconds and moved the Earth’s figure axis by 8 cm or 2.7 milliarcseconds.

This quake caused widespread damage to infrastructure, despite great strides Chile has taken in recent times to modernize. A blackout that affected 93 percent of the population lasted for several days, according to a bulletin by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and tsunami warnings were issued in 53 countries. The quake claimed 521 lives, according to Chile’s Radio Cooperativa.

Then Chilean President Michele Bacheletv declared “a state of catastrophe” and sent the military to lead the initial emergency response, with power to operate as they deemed appropriate. The military moved vulnerable communities, began knocking down unsafe structures, cleared rubble and restored utilities. In areas where unrest had broken out, the military also imposed nightly curfews to prevent looting.

In Camarico, the military asked Captain Flora Garrido to help a 103-year-old lady. Her house had been totally destroyed, and she had no family to assist. With people from her corps, Garrido dismantled a new shed the corps had just purchased for storage and rebuilt it on the woman’s property for her to live in.

Responding I arrived in mid-March, at the invitation of the

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territorial leadership, to assist in assessing and advising The Salvation Army response. The visible extent of damage is difficult to describe—from a new 16-story block of apartments totally collapsed in the center of Concepcion, to communities on the coast that had been swept away by the tsunami. I observed a country that had been devastated by this disaster, but one that again was determined to rise from the rubble and rebuild itself.

The Salvation Army and Salvationists were not immune; corps and social service buildings suffered damage. Yet their response was one of selfless service to neighbors who also suffered. In the places restricting access to the outside world, The Salvation Army was already an intimate part of the community.

Majors Antonio and Lillian Arguedas, new divisional leaders in the Chile South Division, did not arrive at their appointment or office for a number of weeks because they went straight to supporting the work of the Salvationists in their division.

Young Salvationists of Santiago took on the role of coordinating the donations of goods and preparing and distributing food to those families within the capital that were sleeping in tents on the street because their houses were either destroyed or unsafe.

8.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE IN 2010

Officers and volunteers in Talca were operating out of a loaned house and providing meals for 200 people. In teams, they went around the local area assisting people in knocking down badly damaged houses to enable temporary housing to be built on the site.

Captains Carlos and Patricia Aguilar and their two children had just arrived from Peru to be the new corps officers of the Concepcion Corps. The Aguilars slept in a borrowed car for several days in fear of aftershocks, while working in the community every hour that they could.

A group of Home League ladies from a corps in the south of Chile worked with the victims of the tsunami—cutting hair, cleaning out what remained of the houses, salvaging personal items and praying with those in shock.

programs, a strategy to repair damaged Salvation Army property is a priority. The main response of the Army is concentrated in a few communities, particularly during Chile’s current winter season, including the continued provision of food and nonfood items for those that remain in makeshift camps and temporary housing, and the purchase of boats to assist the fishing communities.

The Salvationists of Chile are working tirelessly to raise funds and goods locally to support the projects they are engaged in, yet the size of the task requires the support of the worldwide community.

Support for repair To maintain essential social and community

Photos by Raelton Gibbs

n Major Raelton Gibbs is the international emergency services program officer based at International Headquarters in London.

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FOOD FROM THE

SKIES

The shaping of The Salvation Army and Numana partnership

BY LAURA MSZAR

When the devastating earthquake hit Haiti, The Salvation Army and nonprofit hunger relief organization Numana, Inc., partnered to strike back, helping rebuild the country and strengthen individuals with one meal at a time.

The idea is simple, but the impact is tremendous.

Numana coordinates large-scale community meal packing events across the United States, engaging the help of local partners and individual volunteers to assemble basic, nutritious meals to be sent abroad.

These bagged meals of rice, soy, freeze-dried beans and chicken flavoring enriched with vitamins take moments to package, cost only 30 cents and feed a family of six for several days.

The Salvation Army has facilitated 44 packing events across the nation while also coordinating the local and international shipping of meals and overseeing distribution within Haiti. Events take place over one or two days, with volunteers churning out anywhere from tens of thousands to more than 1 million meals each time. To date, the Army and Numana have packaged more than 20 million meals with the help of 115,000 volunteers.

FedEx picks up the packaged meals within 24 hours and drives nonstop to our warehouse in Miami. Once received, UPS flies the food crates to Port-au-Prince. Then, with security provided by the invaluable U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, The Salvation Army distributes the meals twice a week.

Currently, food is distributed to the elderly, mothers with children under age five, the disabled, lactating mothers, and families awaiting shelter construction.

It is believed that we were the first aid organization to distribute meals following the earthquake, with our initial distribution of 10,000 meals being completed in only 90 minutes.

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Empowering volunteers In addition to helping sustain Haiti’s communities, the meal packing events also empower everyday American volunteers to save the starving.

Most people have few options to participate in disaster relief beyond writing a check, but these community-wide efforts provide hands-on opportunities.

The range of volunteers, ages 1 to 90 years, who have joined our food relief efforts is staggering.

Sports teams, businesses, churches and families have all been represented.

A 72-year-old man said that participating in the effort was the most significant thing he had ever done in his life. Countless others said they left strengthened in their faith, and some without faith claimed they walked away with “something” stirring inside them.

I am moved by another account from a mother. Her skeptical husband told their 9-year-old son—who volunteered—that we were just trying to use people’s emotions. With wisdom seemingly beyond his years, the boy responded, “Then it must have been by God because he used our hands and feet.”

To feed a child The idea of the simple packaged meals began about eight years ago with Rick McNary. A former pastor, McNary felt a particular burden for the world’s hungry after he met a starving child in Nicaragua. Determined to do something, he devoted much prayer, research and hard work to finding an answer, which became the mobile feeding operation Numana, Inc. McNary chose The Salvation Army as Numana’s sole distributer because he strongly supports our statement of faith, trusts in our work, and knows that our worldwide presence provides an immediate distribution network.

He contacted The Salvation Army World Service

Numana/Salvation Army Packing Events LOCATION/EVENT

Office (SAWSO) with the original intent of distributing the meals through school feeding programs in impoverished countries, which research shows is the best way to attack hunger, as well as significantly boost literacy and education. With Haiti’s extremely high unemployment and illiteracy rate, as well as its proximity to the United States, it made sense to send the first batch of Numana meals there. He and SAWSO continued collaborating and even visited our schools in Haiti during Numana’s development.

But economic downturn in the U.S. forced McNary to postpone his effort’s launch. In December 2009, he decided he couldn’t wait any longer. At Numana’s flagship event in its hometown of El Dorado, Kansas, thousands of community members packed 285,000 meals. Just as the food was to be shipped, a snowstorm slammed the area, causing yet another seemingly unfortunate delay.

A few weeks later, just as Numana readied again to transport the food, news hit that an earthquake had ravaged Port-au-Prince. With these needed meals already prepared, Numana and The Salvation Army decided to use the food instead for immediate disaster response.

From the sky When McNary heard that the only way to deliver meals was by parachute because of Haiti’s destroyed infrastructure, he was overcome by the symbolism of that moment. “Numana” was developed as a play on the words “new” and “manna,” the life-sustaining food that rained from the heavens, according to the Old Testament. Now, after years of faithful prayer, investment, and hard work—and by God’s sovereignty—Numana meals literally fell from the sky.

With so many Haitians in need, The Salvation Army asked Numana for more meals and they haven’t stopped packing since.

Beyond disaster response, both Numana and The Salvation Army intend to further develop meal distribution through the Army’s school feeding programs. n Laura Mszar is the communications specialist and web editor for The Salvation Army’s National Headquarters in Virginia. For more information about Numana, Inc., visit numanainc.com.

Photos by John Docter

PACKAGED

DECEMBER 2009 Gran Ghou - El Dorado, KS 285,120 JANUARY 2010 Million - El Dorado, KS 654,870 Coliseum Million - Wichita, KS 1,121,298 Abilene, KS 250,000 FEBRUARY 2010 WSU - Wichita, KS 641,000 Bethel - Newton, KS 220,752 Learjet - Wichita, KS 130,680 Remington, KS 141,000 Circle - Towanda, KS 130,680 Chicago (Elgin), IL 1,040,600 Trinity - Wichita, KS 295,680 Kansas City, MO 1,091,288 MARCH 2010 St Thomas - Wichita, KS 207,720 Eudora, KS 164,160 Los Angeles, CA 1,022,736 Wichita, KS 500,000 First E Free - Wichita, KS 137,280 APRIL 2010 East High School - Wichita, KS 95,040 Methodist Youth - Wichita, KS 62,304 El Dorado Correctional - El Dorado, KS 93,146 Caldwell, KS 220,536 San Francisco, CA 1,019,568 New London, CT 268,956 Champaign, IL 1,012,164 MAY 2010 Syracuse, NY 867,858 Platte Woods - Platte Woods, MO 300,000 Washburn - Topeka, KS 206,712 Butler Community - El Dorado, KS 104,808 Andover Central - Andover, KS 216,834 Augusta, KS 143,616 El Dorado Schools - El Dorado, KS 156,384 Central Christian - Wichita, KS 450,792 Robinson Middle Schl - Wichita, KS 113,896 Philadelphia, PA 933,638 Chicago (West Chicago), IL 500,888 Seattle, WA 1,043,280 JUNE 2010 Community Covenant Shawnee Mission, KS 172,038 Chicago (Crystal Lake), IL 781,704 Natl Forensics - Kansas City, MO 525,960 LSI - Wichita, KS 143,118 Kalamazoo, MI 620,784 Little Rock, AR 1,420,638 Pratt, KS 276,048 West Allis, WI 573,696

Total 20,359,270

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UPDATE: China 7.1 magnitude earthquake in 2010 A magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook BY Yushu County, a plateau city in China’s JEREMY Qinghai Province on April 14, 2010, LAM thrusting the ancient town into the

spotlight.

Yushu County, located some 2.7 miles above sea level and in proximity to Sichuan Province and Tibetan Autonomous Region, is over 497 miles away from Xining, the provincial capital of Qinghai, but the closest to the epicenter. The collapse of almost all houses in the county resulted in over 2,000 deaths and left tens of thousands of residents injured.

While the world was shocked by the magnitude of the quake, The Salvation Army immediately took action to bring relief aid to the region. Capitalizing on their experience from previous development projects in Qinghai, the Beijing office staff of The Salvation Army’s China Development Department arrived in Xining on April 16 and obtained correspondence and permission from the Qinghai Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau to distribute relief aid in the affected area.

Targeting aid The rescue team learned from the Qinghai Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau and other relief organizations that the majority of victims were Tibetans, therefore special consideration had to be made for the aid materials to observe unique Tibetan religious and living habits. The Salvation Army purchased two tons of barley flour, a Tibetan staple, to send to the quake zone, along with other needed relief supplies, including cotton clothing and medicines.

On April 19, I arrived in Xining and joined the staff of the China Development Department in assembling and delivering relief supplies by truck to the affected region.

Yushu County, located on the highlands, is nearly 500 miles away from Xining. Emergency relief workers spent 15 hours on the road, climbing to an altitude of 2,486 miles.

The relief team arrived at the affected area at 3

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a.m. We assembled a tent in the darkness, and at dawn found that most buildings were collapsed and those still standing had deep cracks making them unsafe for accommodation.

We distributed the first batch of relief supplies and immediately conducted on-site assessment.

During home visits—survivors also assembled tents for temporary housing—many Tibetan people showed appreciation to The Salvation Army for the barley flour and admitted that the instant noodles given by other relief organizations caused stomachaches. Although the survivors were provided with tents and warm clothes, they still slept on the ground in the chilly weather. So, The Salvation Army decided to purchase folding beds for them.

The first 6,000 beds were delivered to victims in June. An additional 40,000 folding beds were sponsored by the Hong Kong government’s Disaster Relief Fund, and presented in a ceremony by Lt. Col. Samuel Pho, Hong Kong and Macau officer commanding. n Captain Jeremy Lam is the corps officer at Tseung Kwan O Corps in Hong Kong.

Photo by Tam Hong Bo

SATERN

Communication in disaster Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network In a number of disaster responses BY worldwide, amateur radios were the KEN CAVALLERO only means of communication.

In the United States, the largest disaster response by amateur radio operators occurred during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. More than a thousand radio operators converged on the Gulf Coast area to provide emergency communications. And, it was amateur radio that kept New York City agencies in touch with each other after their command center was destroyed during the 9/11 attack.

Amateur radio operators have been around since the beginning of radio history. Nobody knows when they were first called “hams,” but in 1912—after the sinking of the Titanic—Congress passed the first laws regulating radio transmission. This opened the door for a nationwide communications network that relayed messages coast to coast, and marked the beginning of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).

Two major organizations exist for emergency amateur radio communications: The Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES), sponsored by the ARRL, and the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Services (RACES), regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

The U.S. currently has over 600,000 amateur radio operators, with over 2 million worldwide.

Staying in touch In the 1970s, Captain Patrick McPherson, a Salvation Army officer, wanted to keep in touch with his family. To avoid relying on landlines, he purchased a CB radio and soon obtained a more powerful ham radio. From his home, he communicated with family and friends.

In June 1988, McPherson’s love for amateur radio led to the start of a worldwide network of Salvation Army volunteer ham radio operators—The Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network (SATERN).

Just a few months after the first net check-in, SATERN faced its first international response.

In September 1988, Hurricane Gilbert struck the

Caribbean killing 341 people. SATERN operators in the U.S. and Jamaica worked tirelessly for several days relaying information about need and missing persons from the disaster site to Salvation Army response teams.

Primary communication Today, effective use of existing technology allows The Salvation Army the greatest opportunity to be one of the leading non-governmental organization (NGO) disaster services providers available in the response and recovery field.

Almost 22 years after the start of SATERN, in the shadow of cell phones, satellite phones and computers, ham radios remain a vital emergency communications component. When activated, SATERN can provide primary communications around the disaster site, to the incident command and to Salvation Army headquarters.

For disaster radio communications, The Salvation Army only uses ham radio operators who are licensed—having passed the FCC written examination and received the official license and “call sign.” The license must be renewed periodically in accordance with FCC regulations.

Functional activity Over 4,200 registered SATERN members currently check in on one of the 40 net checks a week that SATERN operates on local, regional and international frequencies. These net checks provide a platform for training, information sharing and assurance that communications equipment and operators are ready if needed.

With the 2009 retirement of now Major McPherson, SATERN is now included in The Salvation Army National Emergency Disaster Services department.

As we move forward, the existing SATERN manual will be rewritten to reflect the new direction. It will enforce the needs and abilities of SATERN members while setting a direction for command and control SATERN, page 42

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Disaster services online Create your own volunteer profile to prepare for disaster service At one time, Vincent Van Gogh BY said, “Great things are not done by MICHAEL impulse, but by a series of small things ORFITELLI brought together.” The Salvation

Army’s disaster services believes in the “small things,” especially after several years of small things have led to a national website and volunteer database—disaster. salvationarmyusa.org—a first-of-its-kind phenomenon for the Army.

This pioneering effort was the vision of the Eastern Territory’s disaster services department as a means to capture and store training information. It began to take shape at the start of the National Disaster Training Program (NDTP) while courses were still being developed.

Those first few years were marked by real struggles and disappointing failures until Ken Fujimatsu, a database specialist, transformed the volunteer database and website into a spectacular set of tools to aid officers, volunteers and staff who serve in times of crisis.

It is now an intuitive, user-friendly site that has had profound impact on disaster services and those who want to be involved. With all of the features of an expensive software program, the database and website are works of creative genius. Over the past few years, the Southern Territory disaster services staff joined in for a truly collaborative effort.

All four U.S. territories are currently onboard, and we are in the process of including the Canada and Bermuda Territory who have also been involved in the NDTP and several training and disaster events.

Web interaction This web-based volunteer database allows anyone to go online and create a volunteer profile. For a new volunteer, this is often the initial request to begin experience as a disaster volunteer. The volunteer can list skills and interests, the division can record important information concerning their abilities and deployment, and the territory can list all of the completed NDTP courses.

A certified trainer can download course materials using our NDTP Course Repository, or upload changes to their courses as new information becomes available or updates are made to the training material.

This eliminates the costly, inefficient method of

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sending out update discs. Now the updates are instantaneously available.

The training section on the website advertises available training courses across the country, and provides contact information for those interested in participating.

Spearheaded by the Southern Territory, recently added podcasts have proven popular. All four territories have contributed. This section will soon be developed with a news item section and blog and Twitter capability.

In the near future, we plan to include a deployment module, a section of capacity overview to be used as a planning tool for staff, an easy-to-use internal email broadcast system and a host of other leading gadgets that will keep the disaster services pioneering spirit alive. n Michael Orfitelli is the emergency disaster services director in the U.S. Eastern Territory. Visit the new website and create your volunteer profile at disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

SATERN from page 41 utilizing the Army’s Incident Command System (ICS) and keeping us in compliance with the federal government’s National Incident Management System (NIMS).

National Headquarters, each of the four territories and active SATERN divisions, will now appoint SATERN coordinators. The goal is to develop a pool of licensed and emergency disaster services (EDS)-trained amateur radio operators who are skilled in emergency communication and message handling. As multi-functional EDS workers, they will help enhance and provide direct disaster service, delivery and recovery operations for The Salvation Army at local, regional and national disaster events.

Corps can also begin to look at how they can integrate the SATERN and disaster response team volunteers into their everyday activities and public relations events to make EDS a functional part of the Army rather than simply a response mechanism. n Ken Cavallero is the emergency disaster services coordinator in the U.S. Western Territory.

For more information visit MySABOARD.org

SAVE THE DATE!

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AND FINALLY...

Transforming victims to survivors For more than 100 years, The Salvation BY Army has been involved in disaster relief.

ISRAEL L. Our first major effort dates back to 1900—a GAITHER response to the massive hurricane that

destroyed Galveston, Texas, killing more than 5,000 people. Salvation Army officers from across the country mobilized to clean, feed and shelter thousands of survivors, while also providing emotional and spiritual support. With this effort, our long history of national and international disaster response began and has continued, leading to our response to such events as the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina and more recently, devastating earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and China.

While disasters are tremendously challenging and complex, these crises are yet another means to live out our mission to serve and save—spiritually and physically— suffering humanity in the name of Christ.

A reliable resource Under the U.S. government’s National Response Framework, we are recognized as an Emergency Support Function (ESF) #6 organization, which means that our partner role is to provide mass care, housing, emergency assistance and human services during times of disaster.

While our specific response to each disaster varies depending on severity and type of catastrophe, local expectations and the capability of the community, The Salvation Army strives to be a reliable resource in times of need. Pre-established emergency plans and existing relationships with governments, communities and other NGOs provide a foundational framework that enables us to respond immediately, efficiently and sensitively when we’re called on to care for physical, material, emotional and spiritual needs. Practically, this includes serving meals and water to survivors and first responders, providing temporary shelter, offering clean clothing, educating people on resources available to them and listening to or praying with the traumatized.

Responding intellectually to disaster rather than emotionally is essential. Time, money and effort can be wasted, or even harmful, if not strategic in thought.

Information from our assessment teams, established relationships, cultural sensitivity and thorough engagement with disaster survivors enable us to hear what they actually need rather than what we think they need, which can be very different things. For example, during Haiti relief efforts we had to turn away generous donations of baby formula mix, in part because the majority of Haiti’s water is contaminated. Furthermore, harmful and false

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local stereotypes pressure mothers to substitute nursing with using formula. In response, we developed protected areas where women may have privacy to nurse.

Beginning to end While The Salvation Army acts within what we call short-term and long-term relief, the line between these two ideas is blurred. Our approach must always be a continuum of planning and services that addresses the immediate need while also looking to the future. From beginning to end, our overarching goal is to support a community while taking steps to empower it in becoming stable and self-sustaining, not making it completely dependent on our help. As difficult as this might sound, it is a good thing to work ourselves out of a job!

Education, relationships and communication help us determine how to best balance this transition. Even simple things, such as the warning labels against the threat of human trafficking that we’ve printed on Numana meals, alert and empower Haitians to overcome dangers. Our local Salvation Army in Haiti, which is trusted by the community for its 60 years of work, is diligently assisting citizens in gradual transition back into their regular routines, such as paying for normal clinic visits again now that earthquake-related visits have subsided. Our ministry efforts are intended to transform victims into survivors.

Compassionate service Our actions must attest to our faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Our role in the provision of disaster relief ministries gives opportunity to witness through service to those of many different faiths… or lack thereof. As our mission statement implies, we serve indiscriminately, respecting all faith traditions and providing compassionate, emotional support without judgment. Christ is our model as we strive to prove God’s love through service and compassion. And, we are always ready to give the reason for the hope that drives our compassionate serving.

We are invested in the whole person—physical, emotional and spiritual. As our founding and history make clear, we are more than a mere human service agency. And we are more than just another “church on the corner.”

We are The Salvation Army—a unique blend of a serving mission. n Commissioner Israel L. Gaither is the national commander of The Salvation Army in the United States.

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