Sullivan County Tornado Response

SULLIVAN, IN (April 1, 2023) – The Salvation Army of Sullivan, Indiana has mobilized disaster team members in response to Friday’s tornado outbreak, which left destruction across the community and damaged or destroyed over 200 structures. During the overnight hours The Salvation Army immediately opened shelter at City Hall, serving four displaced families in the immediate aftermath of the storm.

Early Saturday morning The Salvation Army transitioned operational focus to feeding, hydration, and emotional and spiritual care across the impacted area. One mobile kitchen (canteen), located in the Silver Street Corridor, is providing meals those in a high impact area. A second roving unit is providing meals to impacted regions deeper within the county. The Salvation Army has served nearly 250 meals in the first few hours of this incident and is staging resources and personnel at First Christian Church.

Michele Smith, the Sullivan County Service Extension Coordinator, shared, “We are all trying to get our feet under us, These early moments of the disaster are very fluid, and it is nearly impossible for us to get into the highest impacted areas until emergency crews are able to clear roadways. Our mobile kitchens are ready to deploy to those areas to support first responders and survivors. Until then we will continue to do what we always do; which is meet human need in Jesus's name.” She went on to say, “The community has already been very generous to us in these early moments and truly the best way people can support us right now is through financial donations.”

The Salvation Army of Sullivan is prepared to serve for as long as we are needed. With the feeding capacity of the mobile kitchen, the support of Frist Christian Church, and other faith communities The Salvation Army will do all it can to help Sullivan recover from this disaster.

To support The Salvation Army's disaster relief efforts in Sullivan County and across the state, call 1-800-SAL-ARMY or make a secure donation online at HelpSalvationArmy.org. One hundred percent of your donation will go to directly serve those impacted by this event. To learn more about the EDS ministry and responses in the U.S. and around the globe, visit disaster.salvationarmyusa.org.

High-resolution photos from Sullivan County are available for download on Flicker HERE.