The fury of Hurricane Ida was far greater than was expected. Now the Texas Baptist Men are putting out a call for help in cleaning up.
“In terms of geographical area it is maybe the largest we’ve ever responded to,” said John Hall, the communications director for the Texas Baptist Men. “I’m standing in the middle of a neighborhood in LaPlace right now. Literally every single house I can see, as far as I can see has tarps on it.”
Hall is no novice to hurricane relief and clean-up. But he says the impact of the storm and its 150 mile-per-hour winds is hard to comprehend. There is still no electricity and the heat and humidity are stifling. The volunteers are wearing out slightly more than a week into their effort. Now the group is pleading for volunteers.
You may be cleaning out yards cleaning out sticks and limbs and trees. You might be cleaning out flooded homes, tearing out carpet, tearing out drywall. Anything that you can offer that will be a practical service that will save people time and energy. Because, honestly, they are running low right now.
The relief workers are based near LaPlace, about 20-miles west of New Orleans. The town took a direct hit from the hurricane eye, rendering almost every home inhabitable. The work in the one town could take weeks. The cleanup to the sprawling path of the storm could take months.
“We are looking for people who want to come. We have a place to for you to stay. We’ve got meals for you. We’ve got everything set up. You’ve just got to rough it a little bit. And you have got to have a desire to serve. But we’ll put you in a position where you can help people on the ground.”
The Texas Baptist Men are reaching out to other churches for help, denomination does not matter. Those interested are urged to call (214) 275-1100.
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow NewsRadio 1080 KRLD