The Salvation Army disaster teams braced themselves as Hurricane Dolly made landfall in Texas this afternoon as a category 2 hurricane. With winds blowing up to 110 mph, Dolly is leaving her mark on South Texas.

It has been reported that the initial damage is primarily in the South Padre Island, Port Isabella and Brownsville region. Thousands of Texans are without power in South Texas tonight, as the danger of flooding increases with the storm. The Salvation Army properties in Corpus Christi and Harlingen have not sustained any noticeable damage.

The Salvation Army has 12 mobile feeding units from across the state positioned in McAllen and are currently serving approximately 1,000 evacuees at the local Salvation Army Corps building and several area schools.

Meals are being prepared in the McAllen shelter kitchen, placed in cambros for transportation, then served from Salvation Army mobile feeding units, or Canteens, at four emergency shelter locations in Hidalgo County. The Salvation Army served 1,052 people during dinner on Wednesday night alone.

The Salvation Army Shelter in McAllen opened Tuesday night at 7 p.m. The shelter has the capacity to hold up to 200 Dolly evacuees, and currently has 167 people waiting out the storm within its walls. 

Major Dan Ford, Incident Commander for The Salvation Army Hurricane Dolly recovery efforts said, “With power flashing in and out due to the hurricane, The Salvation Army is doing what we can to keep people fed and out of harms way until the storm has subsided and the Canteens can be deployed into the hardest hit areas.”

Thursday morning, once breakfast has been served, The Salvation Army will deploy its canteens into the affected areas, serving first responders and victims of Hurricane Dolly.

About The Salvation Army:

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org.