The recent rush to aid Haitian earthquake victims has caused the needs of Surry County residents to become overlooked, according to officials with The Salvation Army and American Red Cross.

“Some of the donations we would normally have to utilize in our county have been directed to Haiti instead,” Capt. Michael Rodgers of the Mount Airy Salvation Army unit said Wednesday. “A lot of our resources are being strained.”

That means less available to local residents in need of food, utility assistance, clothing and medical help that The Salvation Army typically provides through its headquarters on South Street.

“If people hear that we’re having to turn people away, they should understand that if we don’t have it, we can’t give it,” Rodgers said of money to help those in this community.

A similar situation is occurring over on Westlake Drive at the offices of the Surry chapter of the American Red Cross, which also is suffering from the fact so many of its contributions are being earmarked for Haiti relief.

“I can’t begrudge them,” local Red Cross Emergency Services Director Tom Dunn said of those giving money to help the foreign nation, “because Haiti is a poor country that has been devastated.”

But, Dunn added, “We need people to remember that we do need to take care of our own people, also.”

Donations sent directly to the Surry Red Cross disaster-relief fund for Haiti have totaled nearly $22,000, according to Cathy Loggins, executive director.

Meanwhile, response to a recent Salvation Army mailing campaign, involving about 1,000 letters sent to potential donors, also fell victim to Haiti, Rodgers said.

While people have responded with contributions, many have designated that they be directed to earthquake assistance, which The Salvation Army must honor.

“The problem is, we have a massive amount of need right now,” Rodgers said of problems in the Mount Airy area.

As a barometer for that need, the organization received more than 1,100 applications from families for assistance during the recent Christmas season, compared to 710 the year before.

“That’s a pretty good increase,” Rodgers said.

Snow, Flooding Also

Factors

Both The Salvation Army and Red Cross have been victims of bad timing where the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti is concerned.

A snowstorm that hit Mount Airy during the weekend of Dec. 18 not only plagued motorists, but put a dent in The Salvation Army’s red kettle collections at Christmastime.

During what should have been its biggest weekend for collections, the agency received about $6,000 less in kettle donations than it normally would, based on figures compiled by its bookkeeper.

“We were doing pretty fair up to that point,” Rodgers said of the storm that left nearly 8 inches of snow in its wake. “So it has put us in a tough situation financially to meet the need.”

Heavy rains and flooding that resulted in the past week were cited as an aggravating factor by the Red Cross.

“While we appreciate the donations being made to Haiti right now, we had 30 homes flooded by the Ararat River from our recent storm,” Dunn said.

Before both the flood and the earthquake in Haiti, the Red Cross had made a funding appeal to county government officials, and accompanying media coverage sparked an increase in donations, Dunn said.

“The checks starting coming in,” he added of that effort. Now, however, “all the donations say ‘Haiti relief.’”

While it is difficult to gauge what would have happened without the earthquake occurring, Dunn had a rough estimate for how much money has been diverted from local assistance to Haiti. “Based on the rate of donations that had started coming in, had they continued for another week, I’d say probably a good $6,000 to $8,000.”

Dunn pointed out that a larger-than-usual number of house fires in Surry County also has strained Red Cross finances. In addition to aiding fire and flood victims, the chapter helps those affected by other disasters and feeds emergency workers during search-and-rescue missions.

The Red Cross official acknowledged that Surry County residents have not suffered a disaster matching the magnitude of that in Haiti, but for someone who has seen their home flooded the situation is critical all the same.

Similar to Dunn, Rodgers said he is sympathetic to the earthquake victims. “A lot of my friends with The Salvation Army have gone down to Haiti,” he said, mentioning that the organization has 60 units in that country.

However, needs still exist locally that must be met, he said. “I don’t want to be negative, but we are somewhat in a bind.”

Those wanting to aid local residents through The Salvation Army can send contributions to the agency at P.O. Box 443, Mount Airy, NC 27030.

Donations can be made to the Surry Red Cross chapter at 844 Westlake Drive, Mount Airy, NC 27030, or by calling (336) 786-4183.

“All of our support comes from this county,” Rodgers said of The Salvation Army’s resources.

“It doesn’t come from government funds, or the Easter Bunny or anything like that.”

Contact Tom Joyce at tjoyce@mtairynews.com or at 719-1924.