A year ago on September 13th, Hurricane Ike made landfall at 2:10 a.m. in our community. When it had left, hundreds of families were left without a home and thousands of people were without light. In the

Hurricane Ike hit Houston on September 13, 2008.

hours immediately after Ike, The Salvation Army was there to offer hope.  Hurricane Ike hit Houston on September 13, 2008.

Despite having several of its own facilities severely impacted, The Salvation Army was able to mobilize its fleets of emergency mobile feeding units right after the storm. The deployed canteens instantly moved into neighborhoods without power and running water to deliver hot meals and moral support. Cleaning kits and hygiene packs were also distributed as part of The Salvation Army’s overall disaster relief efforts.

Officers of the Army were in communities praying with families who had begun to lose hope. The nonprofit’s response to the disaster was enabled by the donors and volunteers in this community who saw beyond their own needs and trusted the Army to help those who were helpless.

The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command, part of an international organization masterfully networked for maximum efficiency, frequently coordinates with other Salvation Army units in preparation for local, statewide and national disaster response. Prior to Hurricane Ike, The Salvation Army had participated in multiple statewide disaster preparation meetings with government agencies and other organizations to engage actively in the community response to the storm.

After Ike, an Incident Command Center was set up at The Salvation Army in Pasadena for the coordination of the local response. Volunteers flooded to The Salvation Army offering their time and effort to help. For many of them, offering a helping hand to their neighbors allowed them to heal from their personal devastations after the storm.

With the help of volunteers, areas with no running water or electricity were identified and Salvation Army mobile feeding units from Texas and neighboring states were deployed with volunteers to serve hot meals, drinks and snacks to those impacted. Salvation Army Officers (ordained ministers) and volunteers were on the front line and offered prayers and a shoulder to cry on for over 8,000 people who needed this support.

Like many of you, The Salvation Army also received extensive physical damage to its facilities. Yet the safety and wellbeing of the nonprofit’s clients was always the number one priority of the staff. Several of the Army’s shelters and housing programs had no running water and were without power for days. 

Now, a year later, with donor support, damaged properties have been repaired and most programs are up and running as usual. However, one facility, The Salvation Boys & Girls Club branch which was located in the Garden City housing projects of the Acres Homes community – arguably one of the most needed in this community – was destroyed by Hurricane Ike. With the community’s support, The Salvation Army will rebuild and continue to serve families in that neighborhood this year.

A year later, The Salvation Army, with your continuous support through resources and volunteerism, is standing tall and preparing for the groundbreaking of its Garden City facility. In this new hurricane season, The Salvation Army is reminded of its mission to meet human needs and is obliged to this community for their support of the Army during its times of greatest need.