In times of need

It’s often said that The Salvation Army has a ministry of “presence” – of  being there in times of need. When tropical cyclone Marcia (category five) crossed the coast north of Yeppoon on Friday 20 February this year, The Salvation Army sprung into action. In the days following the cyclone, The Salvation Army assisted evacuees in Rockhampton with emergency catering. In Yeppoon, The Salvation Army Emergency Services (SAES) teams catered for those in the evacuation centre, and then recovery centres for a few days until they were able to go home or to friends and family. During this whole time, in both places, we were busy feeding hundreds of State Emergency Service (SES) teams, volunteers, council employees and electricity and communications workers, says Major Colin Maxwell, Capricorn region Salvation Army officer. The Salvation Army served more than 7000 meals and helped 2500 families affected by the cyclone.