Salvation Army debuts new disaster services vehicle

CEDAR RAPIDS — The Salvation Army of Cedar Rapids showed off its new emergency disaster services vehicle Friday.

The vehicle will respond to emergencies and help people after fires, floods, tornadoes, derechos and other disasters.

The city of Cedar Rapids and Linn County used federal ARPA funds to assist in the purchase of the $39,175 truck.

Lt. Marty Norris of the Salvation Army said grants from the county ($65,880) and Cedar Rapids ($16,575) will be combined with $82,295 from the Salvation Army to outfit the truck and cover its operating costs.

“Yes, it's a massive truck and a symbol of our commitment to the security and safety of our friends and neighbors in times of trouble,” Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell said during the truck’s Friday ribbon-cutting hosted by the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance.

Norris said the Cedar Rapids Salvation Army Corps office is responsible for six counties.

“But if we're needed outside of that, we'll be able to go out even further,” he said of the new emergency vehicle. “It allows us to go where the disaster is. It might be a fire, and we could get there pretty quickly.

“We could serve the first responders the food and hydration and help them to be able to do their job, but then also be able to help people who are affected by a disaster, floods, fires, derechos, whatever it is that hits.”

The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services division has responded to such recent disasters as fires and floods, the 2020 derecho and the December 2022 explosion at C6-Zero's Marengo factory.