Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services canteen "ready to roll" at a moment's notice
BOSTON – Wednesday marked five years since the Merrimack Valley gas explosions, a day that many people will never forget.
Betsy Cote of North Andover was finishing up dinner and she heard the helicopters.
"'Oh it must be a bad accident on 495.' and then all of a sudden we all get phone calls and texts saying 'Are you alright?' So we go and turn the TV on and oh my god, the gas explosions," Cote said.
Rosa Jimenez of Methuen was working and she stepped out because her building shook
"They ran to see what had happened and they saw people running around. People were not wearing shirts," Jimenez said.
Chris Farrand works for the Salvation Emergency Disaster Services. It's his job to help when the unthinkable happens.
"I've been to disasters all over the place, I mean out of the country and in other parts of the states and I've never seen that many first response vehicles," Farrand said.
When he shows up, he brings the canteen. It's a truck filled with water, comfort and it can feed anywhere from 1,200 to 2,500 hot meals to those in need.
"We take these trucks to wherever the need is," Farrand said. "Set up in front of a shelter, set up in front of a recovery center. Now you have your food, your bedding, your housing, your clothing, your infant supplies, the basic stuff. Now how do we start to rebuild what happened to you."
The canteen has to be ready at all times because no one expects disaster to happen.
"You can imagine like with Leominster, no real expectation for that and then all of a sudden, you have to figure out at 100 miles an hour, who's doing what and how to prepare," Farrand said. "It's every day you are preparing, training, leaning forward, ready to roll, so you can be there to help people in their time of need."