VOLUNTEERS from around the island stepped in to provide food and shelter to the needy in the wake of Hurricane Fabian.

Some 40 people took advantage of emergency shelters during the storm. Its aftermath saw meals prepared for more than 800 residents on a daily basis - the newly-found homeless, residents with damaged kitchens and/or lost power, and many of those working to repair the island's infrastructure.

The need could have been even greater had many not been welcomed into the homes of families and friends, according to Salvation Army divisional leader Major Lindsay Rowe. With the help of volunteers, his organisation operated Government's emergency shelters and provided the manpower for the relief operation which followed Fabian.

"The shelters were only open for two days following the hurricane," he explained. "Following that, they were on alert for anybody requiring emergency shelter. Instead, we managed to find private accommodation for some people.

"In St. George's, for example, one volunteer took in a family who, prior to the storm, had been living in a tent and waited out the storm in one of the bunkers. They came to us for assistance with food and (the volunteer) took them in. (Today), those with damaged homes are either still in temporary accommodation we've provided, or have moved in with family and friends.

"After the storm, there were people with electric stoves, but no power; people with damage to their kitchens. Even people trying to repair the infrastructure couldn't prepare food to take with them. We provided bottled water and hot meals for hundreds of others."

The night before Fabian struck, the Salvation Army opened its churches in St. George's and White Hill in Somerset to those in need of accommodation during, and in the aftermath of, Hurricane Fabian. Additional shelters at Sandys Middle School and CedarBridge Academy were also opened.

The storm brought forward two concerns - housing and the elderly.

"One of the things Fabian highlighted was the need for housing," said Major Rowe. "People were homeless prior to the storm and more people are homeless now. We had between 35 and 40 people come in and use the shelters, the majority of whom were homeless before the storm.

"We saw no injured people come to the shelters for help, but because of some of the boards and committees I sit on, I know there were some medical concerns from various perspectives. Now that the storm has passed, we are especially concerned about seniors, many of whom are often reticent to throw away food. We're concerned about getting to them; seeing what condition they're in; whether they're eating and what they're eating."

It proved an advantage that the Army was regularly involved with the island's homeless and therefore knew where to go to warn them of the severity of the oncoming storm, he said.

"(Salvation Army member) Lionel Cann is out providing food to them on our soup run, three or four nights a week. So, prior to the storm, we were able to go directly to them and tell them where to go for safety.

"We had a few who wanted to hang out until the last moment, but they got the message that this was a serious storm. It really showed the advantage of the Army quietly going about its business in normal times."

The week after the storm - Sunday, September 7 through Saturday, September 13 - saw around 200 volunteers, working around the clock to provide meals.

"After the storm, we were serving an average of 800 meals a day to people without electricity, with damage to their homes, and to work crews at the airport and the Causeway," said Major Rowe. "(We did this) through purchased and donated foods.

"Other churches stepped in as well. It was very much a community effort - carried out by the Salvation Army. Many of the volunteers were members of our congregation, but there were many volunteers from other churches as well.

"People looking to help generally just called us up and were assigned to a shelter. The emergency facilities began serving at 8 a.m. and, in St. George's, for example, volunteers were still serving at midnight, providing food to people on the late shift at the Causeway and the airport.

"The majority of the volunteers went to work each day, finished, and arrived soon after at the emergency facilities where they were immediately made busy preparing food or delivering food to others. Some put in some very long days and they're certainly deserving of any accolade we can give them."

In appreciation of their work, the Salvation Army is hosting a luncheon for the volunteers between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow.