Salvation Army's Web Works

The generosity of the public after the hurricane strained the Web sites and phone lines of the Salvation Army. "We've being bombarded by the graciousness of the public," says Rod Parks, IT director for the Salvation Army's southern territory, which has its headquarters in Atlanta but supports other states including Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The Salvation Army has four territories in the United States, each with its own Web sites. There's also a main Web site for the national Salvation Army office that coordinates the regional U.S territories. "The outpouring of support is appreciated, but it's been crazy around here," says Melissa Temme, a Webmaster at the Salvation Army's national office.

Retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is trying to help, Temme says. In addition to donating $1 million to the Salvation Army to help Katrina victims, Wal-Mart last week was providing secure servers to the organization to better handle traffic to its donation sites, she says.

The demands forced the IT team into problem-solving mode. For instance, the volume of phone calls coming into the Salvation Army has been so heavy that Parks' team has set up additional voice-mail boxes to collect messages. But the Salvation Army realizes that "people want to talk to a live person during these times of great heartache." So, Parks and others have taken turns manning the phones for a couple hours over the last couple of nights. Says Parks, "The stories are heartbreaking."

Photo courtesy of Reuters

--Marianne Kolbasuk McGee