The Salvation Army has responded to the request of support staff personnel for victims of the tornado that hit Mower County Wednesday evening.

When the funnel clouds were spotted in Freeborn County, the Salvation Army’s Southern Minnesota Emergency Response Team was placed on standby. This team is comprised of both Freeborn and Mower County Salvation Army representatives.

Since the tornado touchdown, The Salvation Army has been in place and has served more than 2,015 people with a total of 156 man hours as of Friday morning. Services provided included, but were not limited to, both hot and cold meals, snacks and hydration to the affected residents and utility workers in the area. These services were provided from the mobile and fixed canteens.

These services will continue from The Salvation Army as long as the community needs them, and will be evaluated daily. The deployment is expected to last from seven to 10 days.

To make a donation for tornado relief, call the Austin Salvation Army at (507) 437-4566 or 1-800-SAL-ARMY.