By Baptist Message staff
SHREVEPORT, La. (LBM) – After powerful storms caused damage to homes and businesses and left thousands in the dark in the state over the weekend, Louisiana Baptist Disaster Relief teams have continued to “give a cup of cold water in Jesus’ name” to those impacted.
According to LBDR Disaster Relief Coordinator Stan Statham, a quick response feeding team from central Louisiana and Rolling Hills Ministries in Ruston have cooked and served 500 meals and manned a cooling station in the community room of an apartment complex in Shreveport since arriving in the area on June 19.
Chainsaw teams also were activated for debris removal in Blanchard, Bossier City, Shreveport and Wisner.
Additionally, since June 18, First Baptist Church, Haughton, has hosted a cooling station and shower trailer, washing machines and driers (provided by Mt. Olive Baptist Association) for 135 residents. FBC Haughton church members also distributed seven generators that were donated by area businesses, according to Equipping Pastor Brandon Lewis.
LBDR teams working in the area are staying at Calvary Baptist Church’s Hispanic mission, Shreveport.
According to the National Weather Service office in Shreveport, an EF-1 tornado caused damage, June 16, in southwest Caddo Parish in the Four Forks area, an area where in December 2022 a mother and son were killed in the aftermath of a tornado.
Other reports of damage, according to reports from law enforcement and KTBS and KSLA news stations in Shreveport, included:
- A cabin in Benton caught on fire after lightning struck the building;
- High winds caused the collapse of a gas station’s awning in Mansfield;
- A tree fell on a cabin at Lake Bistineau State Park in Doyline;
- Winds reached as high as 97 miles-per-hour in the Long Lake neighborhood in the city, and sent trees crashing down on homes and vehicles;
- A downed tree caused an electrical short to a commercial building in Shreveport and resulted in a fire as power was being restored; and
- Roadways also were blocked in Natchitoches, Sabine, Winn, Grant, Union and DeSoto parishes after high winds knocked down trees.
More than 54,000 area residents in north and central Louisiana were without power at 11:30 a.m. June 20, down from the more than 230,000 who were without electricity on June 16.
Members of a quick response feeding team prepare meals, June 19, 2023, for distribution to residents impacted by a storm in Shreveport. Submitted photo
According to the Natchitoches Parish Journal, more than 3,000 utility professionals were working 16-day days to restore service to customers of SWEPCO. Crews reported almost 300 utility poles were damaged by the high winds and taken out of service.
Statham said this is just the second time the quick responding feeding team has been activated. The “pop up trailer,” which is owned by Philadelphia Baptist Church, Deville, can provide up to 750 meals each day.
“I want to give a special thanks to all our hard-working team members, including our (LBDR) Zone Three Leader Bubba Kirkland and Philadelphia Baptist for their investment in providing the quick response feeding team,” he said. “We have had many Gospel conversations, planted a lot of seeds and gotten to pray with so many.
“One story that comes to mind is a lady who received coffee yesterday after going three days without a cup of it,” he continued. “She said it was the best cup of coffee she ever had. We are thankful we can provide these necessities for those impacted by this disaster and how that allows us the opportunity to share Jesus with them.”
For more information on how to donate to LBDR or serve on a team, visit https://louisianabaptists.org/about/teams/missions-ministry/disaster-relief/
