Since Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, The Salvation Army has undertaken the largest disaster response effort in its history, allocating donations of more than $365 million to serve more than 1.7 million people in nearly every state.

‘The unbearable devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was met by the most incredible outpouring of support that we have ever seen from donors across the country and around the world,’ says Commissioner (US National Commander) Israel L. Gaither, ‘and we continue to be amazed by the number of volunteers who are offering their dedicated support. But there is still much work to be done.’

The Army’s immediate response to Hurricane Katrina included the mobilisation of more than 178 canteen feeding units and 11 field kitchens which together served more than 5.7 million hot meals and 8.3 million sandwiches, snacks and drinks. Amateur ham-radio operators in SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network) picked up where modern communications left off to help locate more than 25,000 survivors. Salvation Army pastoral care counsellors were on hand to comfort the emotional and spiritual needs of 277,000 individuals.