Meridian Deploys to Florida

As hurricane Ian continues to rip through Florida, Meridian's Salvation Army may soon be deployed to the state to aid in the storm.

Lt. Roy Fisher of Meridian's Salvation Army could soon be deployed as early as two weeks from now:

"Well, what happens is with emergency disaster services, whenever something happens, we get prepared as the storms are going in," said Lt. Fisher. "So, they start to get the teams together. Once they get those teams together, then it's just a matter of once the storms make landfall saying, "Okay, who's going to go first? "

Other Salvation Army branches already have boots on the ground in Florida. Lt. Fisher shares what the team has seen so far:

"In some of the reports we have gotten back, I've seen pictures of what's going on, and especially in the Fort Myers area, it's very catastrophic. So, this is going to be a long-term process, I believe. It's not just going to be an overnight thing or just a two or three-week thing. Some people will be without power for quite a while."

The Salvation Army arrives with enough food and water to start preparing meals as soon as they arrive, and the organization also provides emotional support.

"Some people have lost people. They've lost loved ones. They've lost pets. So, there are so many avenues of just grieving. They just need to talk. So, something that the Salvation Army put in place a few years ago is our emotional and spiritual care."

On Wednesday, Governor Tate Reeves approved the deployment of Meridian's Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 111th Aviation Regiment. Captain of the battalion, Casey Noble, said in a statement to Twin States News:

"I won't speculate on conditions we'll be arriving to, but we expect to arrive to some cities with folks that will need some help, some more serious than others. We plan to deliver water, food, and other commodities as necessary to those in need. We also can anticipate performing some heavy lift external loads to aid in flood control and infrastructure re-stabilization. We also want to provide a beacon of hope to those that might not have any right now and let the citizens of Florida know that Mississippi has their back."