Religion

BY PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor

Friday morning at the Tyler Corps of the Salvation Army began with handing out hundreds of meals at the Army's canteen in Faulkner Park.

"Hundreds of people in about 80 buses" pulled into the park, said Stan Lewis, director of the Tyler canteen.

"There were families all over -- about 80 buses and 35 to 40 cars," he said. "Kids were all wound up at 3 a.m., completely awake. There were some bus drivers not so happy after driving eight hours through the night with a load of kids they couldn't let out."

The organization served thousands of meals, Lewis said.

"In all, we handed out 3,860 meals. We had 1,000 meals back here (at the Salvation Army's City of Hope) to re-supply us if we ran out. We're still ready to hand out meals."

It's just a drop in the bucket when it comes to meals the Texas Division of the Salvation Army is prepared to give, said Alan Ritson, state disaster coordinator with the Texas Division of the Salvation Army.

"We've purchased $400,000 worth of meals to hand out from mobile canteens now staging in San Antonio and Tyler," said Ritson. "That's about 15 days worth of meals. Canteens are coming from Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi -- all the way from Washington, D.C., to Florida. They're coming."

Ritson, whose said he's been "at war" with natural disasters for 26 years, said, "Hurricane Ike is going to be huge. Our troops (Salvation Army Corps members and personnel) have been briefed to expect the worst. I've told my people to prepare themselves to see things they've never seen before."

Ritson was in Tyler to brief Major Dan Ford, incident commander for the East Texas staging area. Ford expects to deploy on Monday or Tuesday, as orders come from Ritson and others to "attack" the aftermath of a disaster.

"I expect half a million homes to be destroyed," said Ritson, as Ford sat nearby, nodding. "But Dan and his troops are the best. They've been through this before. They know what to expect and what to do. I could not have a better team in place."

And the best thing is that it's all done in God's name said Ford.

"Our job is to bring hope out of disaster," he said. "That's what sets us apart from some other relief agencies, because we'll stop and pray with people, and help them connect with God."

"We're here to serve all the needs," said Ritson. "Not just the physical ones. There's not much we miss."

From San Antonio, Captain Edward Alonzo spoke to the Tyler Paper by phone on Friday afternoon. Alonzo is the incident commander staging troops and supplies at the former Kelly Air Force Base near San Antonio. His troops had already been serving up to 10,000 meals a day to evacuees fleeing Ike.

Asked if he needed donations, Alonzo said, "Absolutely. We do all this work by faith. We go attack the disaster, no matter what, in the name of God, believing that as we go in that spirit, people will see and the Lord will bless the Salvation Army."

Salvation Army Operations Director Mike Hicks wants people coming to the City of Hope to know that God loves them.

"These (evacuees) are people who've done this twice now in two weeks," said Hicks during a Friday morning staff briefing. "We need to remember that, one, these are God's people who are coming for help, two, He's entrusted them to us, and three, they've left everything behind. Frustration on their part does not make frustration on our part justified. We need to reach out with the love of Christ."

Looking at the staff taking in his words silently, Hicks added, "This is the best staff for the job. We can handle this, guys."

The assembled members assented and bowed in prayer, led by Salvation Army board chairman Tim Brookshire.

Friday at daylight saw Salvation Army volunteers cooking breakfast meals for the Red Cross, to be distributed among various shelters in Smith County. The parking lot north of the Salvation Army City of Hope at 633 N. Broadway Ave. was cordoned off to make room for 150 Salvation Army kitchen teams, feeding teams, disaster relief teams and mobile canteens. The Southern Command of the Salvation Army mobilized its resources in 13 U.S. states and sent them to "stage" in Tyler, and deploy in hurricane ravaged areas after Ike passes through Texas.

"After years and years and years of responding to natural disasters, the Southern Command has a pretty good idea where and when to go in," said Hicks. "When the Salvation Army flexes its disaster relief muscle, it's a sight to behold.

Cash donations to purchase foods for distribution are needed said Debbie Kirkland-Waffer, public relations director for the Tyler Corps. Volunteers to help during "on-the-road" canteen operations once the hurricane has passed will be needed, said Lewis.

Call 903-592-4361 to volunteer or make a donation. Visit the Web at www.salvationarmy.org for information.

STRATEGY: Operations Director Mike Hicks, Lisa Godfrey and David McQueen discuss the number of emergency cots and mats set up in the Salvation Army Community Center on Spring Avenue on Friday.
(Staff Photo By Tom Turner)