All SC Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers and units are on ALERT to respond to Hurricane Laura.

South Carolina has been asked to assist Louisiana Disaster Relief (DR) in the Leesville area of Vernon Parish following Hurricane Laura’s landfall. This parish (county) is in west central LA due west of Alexandria, very near the Sabine River and Texas state line. The storm is expected to be at least a Category 1 as it moves through the area.

Now is the time to check your calendar for your available dates over the next few weeks and prepare to respond. Volunteers should contact their Unit Leader about their availability. Unit Leaders should assemble a potential team and notify the SCBC Disaster Operations Center (DOC) of your available dates, so that when details are arranged, you will be ready to roll, or ready to be put on the schedule.

In “adopting” the area, we will be running a command post, and it is very likely that all DR ministry areas will be needed – assessment, incident command, chaplains, communications, child care, chainsaw, flood recovery (mud-out), feeding, and shower/laundry. It is highly likely that the early teams to arrive will not have electricity except for the use of any generators you take with you.

Covid-19 considerations: face covering and social distancing guidelines will be followed as much as possible. Housing will be in small groups, spread apart, with daily temperature checks taken. All teams will be tasked to help with cleaning precautions. This deployment will be very different from previous ones because of the corona virus. We are counting on the Lord’s protection, which includes using the good sense He has given!

This is an 800-mile drive – teams will be asked to give at least 7 days (4 days of work, 3 days of travel there and back) because of the distance. En route housing can be arranged so teams can split the trip into a-day-and-a-half each way. If you can give 8 days, even better – allowing 5 days of serving those in need.

This type of deployment is not for everyone. Please use good judgement as to your stamina and your covid-19 risk level when considering whether you can deploy. Also remember that we have not yet reached the peak of hurricane season, so there may be additional deployment needs in the near future.

Please check back here regularly for updated information.

SCBC DOC: sueharmon@scbaptist.org, 803-227-6149