Rochester Salvation Army to help with hurricane Ida relief

(ABC 6 News) – As clean-up efforts continue after hurricane Ida ravaged the south, a team of women with the Minnesota Salvation Army is heading to Louisiana to help with disaster relief efforts.

Rebecca Snapp, the director of community engagement at the Salvation Army in Rochester, Minn., is one of the four being deployed.

"It’s kind of a cool thing and I think it’s cool we’re all women too, you know," Snapp said.

Snapp is the only one of the four who works for the Salvation Army full time.

"This is what I signed up to do, they’re giving up their lives for two weeks to go help these people," Snapp said.

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They leave Sunday and she said they haven’t been told exactly what they’ll be doing, but Snapp has a pretty good idea of what their trip will look like.

"One of the big things we do is make sure people get fed. A lot of people who are displaced — you know, grocery stores aren’t open, so making sure people get fed, making sure people have blankets, making sure people have other basic needs items," Snapp said.

Besides the basics, Snapp said they are also there to provide a different kind of support.

"We can provide mental health first aid or emergency first aid, things like that. Basic social services," Snapp said.

This will be Snapp’s first time being deployed out of state for disaster relief.

"It’s going to be hard to see a lot of people struggling like that but at the same time, that’s kind of what we’re here to do. That’s why you sign up to work with the Salvation Army because you want to help people," Snapp said.

The team from Minnesota is one of many groups from all over the country heading south to lend a hand.

Snapp said the simplest way for us here in Minnesota to help is to donate.

You can text “Ida” to 51555 for a link to donate or go to give.helpsalvationarmy.org.