SAN ANTONIO – The storm-damaged Salvation Army shelter in San Antonio will continue to operate, though it expects to put its senior day programming on hold.
Portions of the roof at the Salvation Army Area Command and Center for Hope on West Elmira and North Flores were torn off in Friday night’s storm, allowing water to leak in and damage portions of the building.
Roughly 140 people had been staying at the center through its assorted shelter and transitional housing programs, San Antonio Area Commander Major Jeremiah Romack told KSAT.
While the extent of the water damage wasn’t clear, power was still off Saturday afternoon when KSAT visited the site. Romack said they were trying to get generators and cooling units on site.
“We want to minimize moving them just because we don’t want to re-traumatize anybody or anything like that. We really want to try and keep them on track and focused on the progress that they’re making,” Romack said.
When KSAT checked in with Romack at 9 p.m., he said power was still off at the building but they had been able to get a generator and a few temporary air units.
They were down to about 100 people staying at the shelter by then, he said. The others had left on their own, with some having people who would put them up temporarily.
Workers started putting on tarps Saturday, he said, but it would likely take weeks to fully repair it. Even still, he hoped to keep the shelters operating.
The organization will likely have to suspend its weekday programming for seniors that provides food and activities.
The full extent of the water damage had not yet been assessed, he said.
“There’s a lot of moving parts and just, you know, continue to work on it,” Romack said. “Work hard, pray hard, and it’ll all come together.”
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