When Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast , Wabash Corp. immediately reached out to numerous agencies to extend a helping hand with its new DuraPlate portable structures.


Salvation Army of Staten Island, N.Y., faced an overwhelming amount of donated items from around the country with limited facilities to store goods, responded to the offer.

Wabash Composites, a business unit of Wabash National, sent six DuraPlate portable storage containers to the Staten Island location, which are now full of donated items including water, cleaning supplies and clothing.

"The flood waters have receded. Now we have a flood of donated items to deal with, which is a good problem to have," said Salvation Army Captain Joe Irvine, who is overseeing relief efforts in Staten Island. "As people are gradually able to move back into their homes, we anticipate the need for supplies to radically increase."

Every day each Salvation Army donation site in the area sees 75-100 vans, trucks and even 53-foot semi-trailers loaded with supplies from as far away as California, Wisconsin and Michigan. Therefore, storage space that is weatherproof and easy to access, yet secure, is essential to store and protect these much-needed supplies.

"With so many people impacted in the Northeast, we wanted to help in the best way we could," explained Dick Giromini, president and CEO, Wabash National Corp.

Thousands of volunteers from across the country are expected in the coming months to help victims in the New York area clean out homes, salvage what they can, and clear the way for construction crews to come in and rebuild. Salvation Army will continue to serve in the relief and recovery efforts in several ways.

"With the harsh winter weather quickly approaching, it is critical to help these families get back in their homes as soon as possible - if it's possible for them to return at all," said Irvine.

To help support Salvation Army in Hurricane Sandy relief efforts, donate online at www.salvationarmyusa.org or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769). For text-giving, text NYSA to 52000 to make a $10 donation through your mobile phone; to confirm your gift, respond with the word, "Yes." To send a donation by mail, send checks payable to The Salvation Army Greater New York, 120 West 14th Street, New York, NY, 10011.