PRESS RELEASE: VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (September 10, 2024) – The humanitarian organization, Operation Blessing, has deployed its U.S. Disaster Relief team to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, ahead of an expected hurricane strike from Francine. Currently a tropical storm, Francine is forecasted to be at hurricane strength when it reaches the Louisiana coast on Wednesday.
Operation Blessing has deployed staff and assets from its Virginia Beach headquarters as well as from its warehouse in Bristol, TN. These include a work order trailer, construction trailer and several trucks carrying relief equipment and supplies. The team is driving to Baton Rouge, where it will connect with both Texas and Louisiana emergency management officials and plan for possible hurricane relief efforts as soon as the storm departs.
A History of Disaster Relief in New Orleans
Operation Blessing has a long history helping in the New Orleans area, dating back to Hurricane Katrina, which was a 3-year-long extensive deployment. During that time, Operation Blessing:
- Coordinated tens of thousands of volunteers (265,000 hours) to help homeowners recover belongings and gut their homes
- Distributed over $4.5 million in cash grants to help local non-profit groups strengthen their relief efforts
- Provided a fleet of OBI tractor-trailers that transported over 12 million lbs. of life-sustaining relief supplies
- Distributed $25 million dollars in medicine
- Operated three kitchens that served over 1 million meals
- Purchased a fleet of busses that were donated to the St. Bernard Parrish for transportation of relief workers and volunteers
- Ran a free dental clinic in St. Bernard Parish and a free medical clinic in New Orleans East that provided free prescription medicines and free medical care to more than 30,000 residents
Staving Off a Potential Disease Outbreak
In addition to those efforts, Operation Blessing made national headlines through its efforts to help curb a potentially deadly outbreak of West Nile Encephalitis by supplying the city with hundreds of thousands of mosquito-eating fish that were stocked by OB volunteers in thousands of abandoned, stagnant swimming pools around the city.
ABOUT OPERATION BLESSING:
Operation Blessing (OB) provides humanitarian services such as strategic disaster relief, medical aid, hunger relief, clean water and community development. Founded in 1978, Operation Blessing has touched the lives of millions of people in more than 90 countries and every state. For more information on Operation Blessing International, please visit www.ob.org
