VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The non-profit Operation Blessing, which provides aid to people when disaster strikes, has deployed its U.S. disaster relief team to Baton Rouge, Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Francine.
Operation Blessing said that arriving early is crucial to help as many people as they can.
“Get in, get settled, get safe, get connected, get effective right away,” said Anthony Lloyd, senior director of U.S. disaster relief for Operation Blessing.
Lloyd said Operation Blessing has sent four people so far to start planning relief efforts with Texas and Louisiana emergency management officials.
“This is a necessary action that’s got to be taken by local officials and the county and the state leaders — traffic’s an issue, and we don’t just go and wait,” Lloyd said. “We tell them we’re coming.”
The volunteers will arrive with trailers full of disaster relief supplies. The storm is supposed to hit Louisiana by Wednesday.
“We’ll send a construction trailer, and it’ll be full of tarps, a minimal amount of disaster relief kits, all the personal protective equipment that you would need if you’re going to engage in disaster relief support, as well as items for us to conduct any kind of outreach,” Lloyd said.
Operation Blessing has sent staff and supplies from their Virginia Beach headquarters and the Bristol, Tennessee warehouse.
“It’s a critical movement, and because we have a lot of good insight as to what’s happening, we’re able to get in place, let them know what’s going on and be ready for any of the next steps that may come down the road,” Lloyd said.
If you are interested in providing relief, Operation Blessing said it always needs more volunteers. Click here to learn more.
