Rochester Salvation Army worker deployed up north to aid disaster victims

(ABC 6 News) – One woman from the Rochester Salvation Army will be deployed up north to International Falls to assist flood victims in emotional and spiritual relief.

Jessica Bradford is a social worker with the Salvation Army and is packing her bags to be deployed Thursday morning.

International Falls has been experiencing severe flooding for over a month now. The water levels are not expected to return to normal for another six to eight weeks, leaving many of the residents struggling in more ways than one.

"They have a fear of okay am I gonna lose my home, lose a business, so we talk with people through their emotions," Bradford said. "We may offer to pray with them if they want us to pray with them."

Bradford says the residents of the town are experiencing grief, loss and anxiety, and it is her job to help them find mental health resources and ways to work through the disaster.

She thinks this is a great way to give Rochester volunteers real-life experience in case of a local disaster in our own community.

This will be Bradford’s first mission since her start over a year and a half ago. She is set to return next Thursday.