BATON ROUGE, La. (MODR) – Even though Hurricane Francine quickly subsided to a tropical storm after it made landfall in Louisiana, that doesn’t mean it didn’t have a devastating impact on hundreds of southern Louisiana residents. Having come onshore as a Category II hurricane on Sept. 11, it still left hundreds of people without power or with damage to homes and property.
In response, Missouri Disaster Relief (MODR) teams arrived in Louisiana within 24 hours of landfall with two of the most basic needs — meals for those who were directly affected and help recovering from wind and water damage. Ed Barnhill, mass care coordinator for MODR, and a team of 14 volunteers have already been preparing around 7,000 meals a day for those without power or the ability to fix meals.
“We’re set up at the Renew Church in Baton Rouge where we’re working in partnership with the Salvation Army,” Barnhill explained, noting that the host church is a six-year-old church plant. “We’ve been fixing two meals a day, lunch and dinner, and preparing about 3,500 meals for each. The Salvation Army has then been distributing them an hour to an hour and half from here in New Orleans, Thibodaux and other areas that were hit hard.”
In the meantime, Tom Malott, Southeast Missouri Regional Coordinator, is leading a “hot shot” team that is handling special requests from Louisiana Disaster Relief. Those include everything from tarping roofs to removing trees that are on homes, driveways, etc.
According to Gaylon Moss, MODR director, a shower trailer has also been set up in Baton Rouge and a tanker truck has been dispatched to the area.
“We are now in the process of recruiting chaplains, flood recovery volunteers and chainsaw teams in order to support DR teams from Oklahoma and Arkansas that are also on site,” he said. “Whether someone needs a meal or help to mitigate wind and water damage, we’re there to once again bring Help, Hope and Healing to southern Louisiana.”
To contribute to the Louisiana response, please go to www.modr.org/give and select Hurricane Francine from the drop down menu.