MORGAN CITY, La. (BP) – Thousands remained without power in Louisiana Friday (Sept. 13) after Hurricane Francine’s 100mph winds came ashore near Morgan City Wednesday. In addition to power outages, some residents face structural damage, downed trees and flooding.
Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief, with help from Missouri Baptist DR and The Salvation Army, was on standby even before the storm, ready to stage a mobile kitchen in Baton Rouge.
That feeding site was placed at Renew Church in Baton Rouge, according to Coy Webb, director of Southern Baptists’ Send Relief compassion ministry.
“Send Relief and our SBDR partners continue to ramp up response to bring much needed help and the life-changing hope of Christ to the survivors of Hurricane Francine,” Webb told Baptist Press on Friday.
Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief Strategist Stan Statham told Baptist Press things could have been much worse, but there is still a great need.
“This is not as catastrophic as Katrina (in 2005) or Ida (in 2021),” he said. “But when it’s your neighborhood, it’s bad. Where the damage is it’s bad.”
Webb confirmed that additional DR units from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texans on Mission were also in place to help with feeding and cleanup efforts.
Another confirmed feeding site is being hosted at Williams Boulevard Baptist Church in Kenner, a New Orleans suburb, and Send Relief is releasing 25,000 servings of food from one of its ministry centers to support that site, Webb said.
First Baptist New Orleans also will host a feeding operation, while a Missouri chainsaw team is staged at First Baptist church of Morgan City to begin cleanup and recovery operations there where Francine made landfall.
Groups are also setting up in Houma, La., for feeding, chainsaw work, flood recovery and chaplain ministries, Webb said.
“Send Relief is shipping a tractor trailer load of supplies, including bottled water, cambros (feeding equipment), flood recovery supplies, and temporary roofing supplies to Louisiana with truck leaving the warehouse on Friday morning,” Webb added.
Statham said power in most places is being restored quickly, so the need for feeding units will likely end this weekend. Then workers will turn their attention to mudouts, chainsaw work and other cleanup.
He added that at least eight churches affiliated with Louisiana Baptists sustained damage in the storm.
“Pray for those who are impacted,” Statham urged. “Some of these people did live through Ida, and now they’re once again having to deal with damage to their homes. That’s tough.”
He also asked for prayer for safety as crews work and travel to various locations.
Feeding storm victims and even just feeding the DR volunteers gets expensive, Statham said. He urged Sothern Baptists to donate toward disaster relief.
Donate to Louisiana Baptist DR here and to Send Relief here.
