Posts Tagged ‘earthquake. disaster relief’

Sometimes our plans turn out to be even better than we could have ever expected.

More than five years ago Major Juan Gutierrez, a Salvation Army minister at Hualpencillo, Chile dug a well with which to water the lawns and gardens around the Salvation Army property. He never used it, but today the well is an important component of The Salvation Army’s response to last month’s devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake.

The current corps officer, Major Abraham Marin, installed a pump for the well last week and there is now a source of clean water which can be used by those who are being helped by The Salvation Army. Hualpencillo is where The Salvation Army established the emergency disaster headquarters for the southern region of Chile.

Major Juan Carlos Alarcon, Divisional Commander of The Salvation Army’s Chile South Division, said, “I spoke with Major Gutierrez by telephone to advise him that members of his family who live in the [earthquake] zone are safe. At the same time, I thanked him for drilling the well, which is now helping hundreds of families. In Hualpencillo, we are not only providing food, but fresh spring water as well.”

The Salvation Army continues to serve Chile in the wake of Saturday’s massive earthquake, but did you know we have been active in the South American nation since 1909? That’s more than 100 years!

The below is a clip from the video, “A Life Saving Army,” which features  information about the work of The Salvation Army in Chile, including educational outreach, childcare programs, skills training, and anti-drug programs. The original video also featured Salvation Army programs in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.

To support The  Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in Chile, donate online or text the word ‘CHILE’ to 52000 and confirm with ‘YES’ to make a $10 contribution.

To stay updated on The Salvation Army’s work, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.

A Salvation Army officer provides a meal to a displaced family.

Tents to house 60 displaced families as a result of  Saturday’s earthquake in Chile have been set up on the patio of the Hualpencillo Corps near Concepcion, reports Lt. Colonel Maria Alarcon, The Salvation Army’s South America West Territory Secretary for Business Administration. She added that Salvation Army officers are traveling from Puerto Montt and Osorno, in Southern Chile, to Concepcion to join The Salvation Army emergency relief response team.

The area most affected by Saturday’s earthquake was between the cities Os Temuco and Chillan, with Concepcion being the hardest hit.

Lt. Colonel Alarcon said, “I have never seen such destruction here before, though I have worked in many disaster situations – they don’t compare with this. Our officers are all fine, but a lot of Salvation Army properties are damaged especially the older ones made of adobe bricks. The worst damage in Santiago has occurred at Quinta Normal and Lo Vial Corps, and El Faro Men’s Residence.”

Territorial Commander for the South American West Territory, Commissioner Jorge A. Ferreira (currently in Ecuador) reports that The Salvation Army is also carrying out emergency relief work in the city of Os Valparaiso on the west coast of Chile. The Commissioner adds that it had been planned to dedicate a recently arrived mobile Salvation Army emergency services canteen (a donation from USA Southern Territory) on 4 March, but it is already being used to serve those in need.

To support The  Salvation Army’s ongoing relief efforts in Chile, donate online or text the word ‘CHILE’ to 52000 and confirm with ‘YES.’

To stay updated on The Salvation Army’s efforts in Chile, visit our national website at www.salvationarmyusa.org or follow us on  Facebook and Twitter.

Following earthquake in area of Santiago

(International Headquarters, London, England) Following a devastating 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile during the early hours of Saturday morning (27 February) Salvation Army emergency services were immediately mobilized to provide support and comfort and international financial assistance is already on the way.

Lt. Colonel Mike Caffull, the emergency services coordinator for The Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London reports that IHQ has already agreed to provide financial assistance for the Chilean Salvationists initial relief response. He said assistance coordinated by the IHQ emergency team will also be provided regarding ongoing relief in the medium and long term.

Chief Secretary for The Salvation Army in South America West, Lt. Colonel F. Bradford Bailey says that the immediate response is to provide food, water, first aid kits, emergency packets, blankets, candles and other urgently required supplies. A recently arrived mobile canteen (a donation from the USA Southern Territory) is one of the key relief vehicles.

The earthquake epicenter was approximately 90 miles (150 kilometers) north-west of the city of Concepción in Southern Chile. Lt. Colonel Bailey says that this is approximately 350 miles (600 kilometers) from the capital of Santiago, ‘nevertheless, the quake was of a 7.0 magnitude in the Santiago metropolitan region’. He adds that people have flocked to the streets ‘as numerous aftershocks continue to pummel’ the country, severely affecting older buildings in the more historical areas of the larger cities.

Water, gas and electricity has been cut off in affected areas and will stay disconnected until relevant emergency crews can assess the damage and prioritize immediate needs.

The colonel says that in these early hours after the quake it has been extremely difficult to communicate with Salvation Army centers throughout the country as all phone lines (mobile and land) have been disrupted. ‘However, preliminary reports are reassuring in terms of Salvation Army personnel.’ He is reported to have said.

At the time of writing this news release the colonel was not able to provide information regarding Salvation Army property.

The Salvation Army has been active in the country of Chile since October 1909. Please pray for the people of Chile.