Oklahoma DR volunteers have served 40,000-plus meals in Baton Rouge since Aug. 19

BATON ROUGE, La.—Despite battling scorching temperatures, soaring humidity and daily downpours of rainfall, Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma (BGCO) Disaster Relief (DR) volunteers have worked side-by-side with local volunteers to prepare more than 40,000 hot meals to victims of flooding since arriving here Fri., Aug. 19.

The BGCO mobile kitchen—one of four set up in the storm-ravaged area–is set up at Baton Rouge, Istruma, on the east side of the city.

The flooding has claimed 13 lives since early Saturday morning, Aug. 13, after 48 hours of record rainfall. The flooding destroyed or damaged at least 40,000 homes across 20 Louisiana parishes. An estimated 60 Southern Baptist churches have been destroyed or damaged along with the homes of 20 or more pastors—many without flood insurance.

Twenty-two Louisiana Baptist churches are serving as mobile feeding centers; hosting disaster relief volunteers; serving as shelters for evacuees; responding to mud-out requests for areas where waters have receded; distributing food, water, clothing and other essentials to sustain families displaced by the flooding; providing mobile shower units; and performing training for “walk-up” volunteers.

The first wave of Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams came from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Southern Baptists of Texas Convention and Tennessee, to come alongside Louisiana Baptists for the immediate crisis and long-term recovery response.

Sam Porter, BGCO DR director, said, “Volunteers will be needed throughout the month of September. To volunteer, please call Marianne VanZandt at 405/942-3800, Ext. 4336.”

To donate to BGCO Disaster Relief, visit www.okdisasterhelp.org.