TAMPA, Fla. — With just a few weeks to go before hurricane season, the Salvation Army is training out-of-town workers who are preparing to head our way if needed.
And we're not just talking about people from other parts of Florida. Some are from as far away as Canada.
“That’s a pleasure for us and we’re here to help,” said Dan Millar, one of half a dozen Salvation Army disaster response workers from Canada.
The group is in Tampa for hands-on training just ahead of hurricane season so they can familiarize themselves with equipment and procedures. The upcoming 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be very busy.
“We don’t have all the equipment that they have here,” Millar said.
At the disaster services warehouse in Tampa, a fleet of trucks, food service stations and generators have been set up for two full days of training.
“They have a passion for it like we do,” said Steven Hartsook, the director of Salvation Army Disaster Services in the Tampa Bay region. “And we are grateful for the relationship and the fact that we do support one another as one army.”
The training also includes communications, such as how to monitor important forecasts, storm response information and how to operate Starlink satellite devices the Salvation Army is now installing in its mobile feeding units.
That way when people show up for a meal, they can also access the internet, which is often wiped out in a storm.
“To connect with loved ones,” Hartsook said. “Contact their insurance and handle some of that business that they’re not able to handle because the communication is down.”
Some of the Salvation Army workers visiting from out of state say they've actually responded to hurricanes in Florida in the past and appreciate how grateful and welcoming people are when they arrive.
“We’re all together,” Millar said. “It doesn’t matter where we’re coming from, what country. But working together is what we need.”
