Emergency Disaster Service (EDS) VolunteersDeploy Throughout Illinois & Iowa

QUAD CITIES, USA: Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services (EDS) volunteers are being deployed to serve meals and provide emotional and spiritual support to those affected by the floods in Ottawa, IL and Canton, IL.

The spring flooding of 2013 has caused great water damage to property and left people homeless throughout the Quad Cities and surrounding areas.

The Salvation Army served 100+ cups of hot coffee and 200+ snacks to the city-employed sandbaggers on the Mississippi River on a very cold April evening. Steve Garrington, Quad Cities EDS Director, states that "The Salvation Army's mission is to provide a compassionate response to the Quad Cities and the surrounding areas, as well as Boston, west Texas, everywhere there is human need."

After the Barstow Levy breach, The Salvation Army supplied the Carbon Cliff/Barstow Fire Department 200 flood clean up kits. The department's staff walked door to door with the kits to be sure every home had adequate access to assistance.
Another 50 clean up kits were forwarded to East Moline Fire Stations by the Rock Island County Health Department. The Scott County Health Department is waiting for the waters to recede before they make the Salvation Army-provided clean up kits available.

Monetary donations may be sent to your local Salvation Army, online at www.salvationarmyusa.org, byphone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY.

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(DES MOINES) - Today, Gov. Terry E. Branstad signed a letter to be delivered to President Obama requesting a Presidential Disaster Declaration for five Iowa counties. The five counties in the request are Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola and Sioux.

The Governor is making the request for Public Assistance Program funding in response to severe weather between April 9 and 11, 2013. The severe weather produced damaging winds, heavy rains, thunderstorms, freezing rain, ice and snow that caused damage to utility lines, poles, trees and vegetation.

A joint federal, state and local preliminary damage assessment of the five counties found the severe weather caused an estimated $6 million of damage that could be eligible under the Public Assistance Program. Public Assistance funds may be used to rebuild damaged infrastructure that may include roads, bridges, culverts and other public facilities, or to cover costs of emergency work during and debris removal after storms.

The Governor's letter to President Obama, including the damage estimates, is available at www.homelandsecurity.iowa.gov.

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-- stepping forward for our Planet, our Future --


Dear Friends,

Setting up a 3,000 mile march involves a lot more than drawing a bright-colored line across a map of the US. We are fortune to have Courtney Kain on board to coordinate this mammoth task. Courtney's background includes a four-year stint with the Army National Guard, managing logistics for several thousand troops at Camp Dodge in Johnston, Iowa.

"We'd go on training marches through a variety of terrains, often for a week or two, camping in a lot of different places under some pretty adverse circumstances," said Courtney. "There was a lot of integration between planning the route and planning our equipment needs. Of course, we carried 60-pound packs on our backs and had our guns. Honestly, I'm looking forward to not having to deal with hauling either of those on the Climate March!"

Like any big event, much of Courtney's work with the National Guard involved tedious behind-the-scenes labor. "Often, we'd be out on the base at o'dark thirty, sometimes in sub-zero weather, doing vehicle maintenance and what not. We not only had to issue equipment but keep tabs on it as well. Marching boots were probably the most important piece of equipment. I remember a lovely set of massive blisters during my early days with the Guard."

Courtney appreciates all the folks in communities across the country who are stepping forward to help with on-the-ground challenges in setting up the route. "We can do a lot from our headquarters here in Des Moines, especially with the help of the Internet," said Courtney. "But there's no way we can figure out all the details without our supporters' eyes and ears helping to identify the best routes and campsites in communities we'll march through."

Our plan is to release the full description of the March route sometime next month. In the meantime, we need your help, not just working with Courtney on setting up the route, but helping pay for all the costs involved. To that end . . .

If you haven't already, please become a March Starter. Donate between 1 cent and 33-1/3 cents per mile - between $30 and $1,000 - to help Courtney finish this task at a pace that would impress the US Army. Click here for details, and thanks to all who have stepped forward so far.