Above: DR team members spend time in prayer before departing for Florida to help with relief efforts from Hurricane Ian.

OKARCHE—Approximately two dozen volunteers left from the Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief (DR) TEAM Center in Okarche early morning of Oct. 7, heading to Florida where they will help provide relief in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

Local TV stations interview DR team members before departure early Friday morning, Oct. 7.

Volunteer teams from across Oklahoma will serve as part of a multi-state Southern Baptist Disaster Relief response, including efforts like feeding, damage assessment, chaplaincy, flood recovery and more.

Sam Porter, interim state director of Oklahoma Baptist DR, said, “Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief is sending these trained and dedicated teams of volunteers, along with equipment and more, to serve those in need. We greatly need financial and prayer support for these efforts.”

Porter said Oklahoma Baptists will be stationed at a recovery site near Daytona, Fla., with a focus on flood recovery. One volunteer named Rebecca, from Slaughterville, noted this was her first disaster relief deployment.

One of the many DR vehicles heading to Florida.

“I am glad to be going. I prayed that God would let me provide help and hope to these people in need,” she said.

Porter emphasized that disaster responses such as these take a significant amount of time, resources and volunteers.

“As you can imagine, this response will be a marathon-type response that will take many volunteers rotating long distance every week-to-10 days.

“This ministry opens doors to share the Gospel like no other ministry that I’ve ever been involved with,” Porter said, “so pray for many new believers in Florida to be added to heaven’s book. Thanks in advance for your prayers for all Disaster Relief teams across the nation who will be responding for the next several weeks and even months.”

To make a financial donation to Oklahoma Baptist Disaster Relief, visit okdisasterhelp.org/donate