Baptist Disaster Relief teams from several states are responding to the damage in the South left by Hurricane Francine, which made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on late Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 12). Wind speeds reportedly reached 100 mph and brought torrential rains.
Locals in Louisiana were especially hit hard by the storm, but no fatalities related to the story have been reported. More than 400,ooo people were reportedly left without power in Louisiana and Mississippi.
RELATED: For more stories on past Disaster Relief efforts, click here.
Churches damaged
“While we are thankful that things are not as bad as they could be, we are aware of several churches that have been damaged,” said Steve Horn, Louisiana Baptist Convention executive director, in a Baptist Message report. “We already know that some churches that were impacted by Ida in 2021 are damaged again. We are especially heartbroken for these communities.”
Francine, which continues to weaken as it rolls inland, left significant damage in parishes south of New Orleans with Morgan City being hit hard by the storm, reported Coy Webb, crisis response director for Send Relief, the compassion ministry of the International Mission Board and the North American Mission Board.
Downed trees and power lines remained amid damaged homes while some roofs had reportedly been ripped off by winds, Webb noted. The storm dumped heavy rains from the Gulf to New Orleans on Wednesday with more than eight inches of rain recorded in multiple areas which resulted in flash flooding and some lingering flooding in area just north of New Orleans.
Francine will “continue to produce rain, and many areas across the south up through the Ohio valley could receive up to 3–6 inches of rain over the next few days,” Webb shared in his report.
Current response
Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief activated a team on Tuesday to begin preparing and planning response efforts. A mobile kitchen was expected to be set up First Baptist Church New Orleans to serve those impacted in the area.
Missouri, Arkansas and Oklahoma were among those with teams currently on the ground — or preparing to help as needed — with the cleanup effort throughout next week, Webb reported.
A Send Relief tractor trailer was deployed this week with bottled water and feeding equipment to support response. They also will be supporting recovery teams with tarping damaged roofs, Webb reported.
Meanwhile in Mississippi, volunteers are assessing damage from street flooding, a few downed trees, heavy rains, gusty winds and more than 60,000 who reported loss of power, Webb noted. Teams there currently reported they should be able to handle all response needs and do not anticipate a major response currently.
More reports
For more related stories to Hurricane Francine and the Disaster Relief response, see links below.
SBDR, Send Relief respond after Hurricane Francine makes landfall as Category 2 -Baptist Press
Disaster relief sites established in southeast Louisiana -Louisiana Baptist Message
Horn seeks prayer for Francine-impacted churches, DR teams -Louisiana Baptist Message
Francine makes landfall, dumps heavy rain across southeast Louisiana -Louisiana Baptist Message
Mississippi Baptist Disaster Relief braces for Hurricane Francine – Mississippi’s Baptist Record
Oklahoma DR units will head to La. in response to Hurricane Francine – Oklahoma’s Baptist Messenger
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was compiled by Shawn Hendricks, The Baptist Paper. With reporting from Coy Webb and Send Relief.
