TBM offers relief to isolated flood victims in South Louisiana

JENNINGS, La.—When a storm-with-no-name dumped more rain on South Louisiana in two days than Hurricane Katrina did in 2005, Texas Baptist Men responded to the needs of residents in isolated areas east of Lake Charles.

Leonard and Pat Nolan, TBM disaster relief volunteers from Fairdale Baptist Church in Hemphill, help a Lake Arthur, La., resident pack her salvaged belongings from her flood-damaged home. (Photo / Ken Camp)TBM disaster relief workers established an incident command center at First Baptist Church in Jennings, La. While the town of 10,000 mostly escaped the worst of the flooding, rising water devastated rural areas to the south and east.

The floods seriously affected only one member family of First Baptist Church, Pastor Jeff Cook said. So, his church immediately focused on collecting and delivering supplies to their less-fortunate neighbors.

In the first week after the floods began Aug.12, members of First Baptist provided essential supplies to about 2,500 households in Jefferson Davis and Acadia parishes.

“In rural Acadia Parish, there are people who are just now coming out of the flood,” Cook said 12 days after the rain began to fall.

Texas Baptist Men volunteers from Ellis Baptist Association unload plastic storage bins they will distribute to flood victims in South Louisiana. (Photo / Ken Camp)“The only way to get to them was by boat. So, we had people who would pirogue out to them, taking supplies into homes,” he said, referring to a small flat-bottomed boat common in South Louisiana.

When TBM arrived, about 60 volunteers set up their mobile command post, field kitchen, shower/laundry unit and other equipment on the parking lot at First Baptist.

Typically, TBM volunteers prepare meals American Red Cross personnel deliver to shelters and affected neighborhoods. However, due to the widespread nature of the floods in South Louisiana, the Red Cross focused on the more densely populated areas around Baton Rouge and Lafayette.

So, TBM prepared and delivered meals to affected residents in communities surrounding Jennings, using two “canteens”—mobile food-service vehicles—provided by the Salvation Army.

Other TBM volunteers offered cold bottled water and sturdy boxes to residents, so they could collect and store their salvaged possessions. The Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board provided 4,000 plastic storage bins the volunteers distributed.

James Huselton, a Texas Baptist Men volunteer from Little Cypress Baptist Church in Orange, scrapes damaged flooring from a flooded home in Lake Arthur, La. (Photo / Ken Camp)Mud-out crews worked in flooded homes to remove debris, rip out damaged drywall and flooring, and disinfect surfaces to provide mold remediation.

About a dozen TBM volunteer chaplains worked in the area, with at least one chaplain accompanying every deployed food-delivery or mud-out team to provide spiritual counsel and comfort to people affected by the floods. In addition to other duties, they gave stuffed bears imprinted with the message, “Jesus love you,” to children.

On the same day President Obama surveyed damage around Baton Rouge, TBM mud-out volunteers worked about 100 miles to the southwest at a home in Lake Arthur, La.

David Melber, vice president for Send Relief at the Southern Baptist Convention’s North American Mission Board, prays with Betty Deshotel on the front porch of her flood-damaged home in Lake Arthur, La. (Photo / Ken Camp)Like other Lake Arthur residents, Betty Deshotel was evacuated when the area flooded and allowed back into her home just two days earlier. In the 30 years she has lived in the house, it flooded only one other time, and the mid-August flood was worse, she said.

Even so, she focused less on her damaged home or disrupted life and more on the Christian compassion evidenced by the disaster relief volunteers.

“It’s so wonderful what they are doing,” she said. “I can never pay back (their kindness) … but it makes me want to do something for someone else.”

In addition to providing direct assistance to flood-affected residents, TBM leaders also led training sessions at churches to equip short-term volunteers for disaster relief.

“Different local churches are open up every night for training events,” said Terry Henderson, TBM state disaster relief director.

A majority—perhaps as many as three-fourths—of the trained and registered Southern Baptist disaster relief volunteers in Louisiana suffered damage to their own homes, Henderson noted. So, the Louisiana Baptist Convention and its disaster relief program offered abbreviated training and an expedited credentialing process to allow additional volunteers to fill the gap.

Melanie Howington, a TBM disaster relief volunteer from First Baptist Church in Nocona, helps a resident of Lake Arthur, La., sort and store possessions from her flood-damaged home. (Photo / Ken Camp)To contribute financially to TBM disaster relief, click here or send a check designated “disaster relief” to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron, Dallas 75227.

First Baptist Church in West—the hub for disaster relief and recovery in its community after a fertilizer plant explosion in 2013—joined other Texas Baptist churches in collecting sports drinks for TBM volunteers to give to residents in South Louisiana. Pastor John Crowder planned to deliver them to the TBM Missions Equipping Center in Dallas Aug. 25, so they could be delivered to South Louisiana before the weekend.

First Baptist Church in Austin established a fund to encourage giving to disaster relief efforts in Louisiana. The church agreed to match donations up to $10,000 and give all money raised to the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of Louisiana, which will oversee distribution of the funds. The congregation collected $24,770, plus the $10,000 church match, said Amie King, media coordinator at First Baptist.

CBF of Louisiana is at work in the Baton Rouge area, cleaning out flood-damaged homes of elderly and disabled residents. To volunteer, contact Tracey Hodges at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Baton Rouge by email at tracey@broadmoorbaptist.com or phone (225) 927-5454.

Louisiana Baptists are collecting specific donated items at First Baptist Church in Addis, La. Requested supplies are paper towels and toilet paper; plastic flatware, cups and disposable plates; toiletries such as shampoo, body soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and deodorant; baby products including diapers, wipes and formula; bottled water and sports drinks; nonperishable food in easy-open containers; and gift cards to discount centers. No clothing is accepted, other than new socks and underwear for all ages.

Texas Baptists’ disaster recovery program will respond to long-term needs in the region. For more information, contact Marla Bearden at marla.bearden@texasbaptists.org or (214) 537-7358 or Gerald Davis at gerald.davis@texasbaptists.org or (214) 924-6401.