Operation Blessing Pre-Deploying Disaster Relief Team & Supplies in Advance of Hurricane Ida
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – Thanks to the support of friends like you, Operation Blessing is able to pre-deploy its U.S. Disaster Relief Team in advance of a potential strike from Hurricane Ida.
An advance team and equipment caravan will depart Operation Blessing early Sunday morning, to include a construction trailer, work order trailer, and several trucks. The caravan will drive to the Operation Blessing warehouse in Bristol, TN, to pre-stage for further deployment after Ida passes.
Anthony Lloyd, senior director of U.S. Disaster Relief, and other team members will continue to Memphis, TN to stage ahead of the storm. The team is currently in contact with partners in Houma, LA, Slidell, LA, Baton Rouge, LA, New Orleans, and Galiano, LA, who are expected to be in the storm’s path. The team will monitor the storm closely over the next 24-48 hours and deploy when the storm has passed.
Operation Blessing has also pre-deployed truckloads of drinking water to relief partners in Mandeville, LA and Cleveland, TX. Additional supplies will be deployed as needed after the storm.
Operation Blessing Responded to Hurricane Katrina in 2005
Operation Blessing was a first responder when Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005 and spent two-and-a-half-years providing relief efforts there, including 265,000 hours of volunteer service, running a free medical clinic that served over 30,000 people with free doctor care and free prescriptions, treating thousands of stagnant swimming pools with mosquito-eating fish to avert a disease outbreak, preparing over 1 million free meals to emergency responders and volunteers, donating an entire fleet of busses to St. Bernard Parrish for transportation of relief workers and volunteers, and providing roughly $5 million in cash grants to local nonprofit organizations for relief efforts.
Help Disaster Victims
To help disaster victims, visit www.ob.org/obdisaster or text “OBDR” to 71777.
