By Message Staff
MONROE, La. (LBM)–Louisiana Baptists have continued to help homeowners whose homes were damaged by a tornado that touched down in Monroe-West Monroe Sunday, April 12.
Disaster relief teams from Rolling Hills Ministries in Ruston and Cedar Crest Baptist Church in West Monroe, as well as volunteers from First Baptist Church in West Monroe and Temple Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church in Ruston have cleared debris from 12 homes in the area through Wednesday, April 15. Two other groups also are assisting: Minutemen Disaster Response, a non-profit response team in McKinney, Texas; and, Samaritan’s Purse, a non-denominational humanitarian aid organization founded by evangelist Franklin Graham.
Volunteers also prayed with the homeowners at each site.
According to Brandon Rodgers, media and communications director for First Baptist Church in West Monroe, spent much of Wednesday helped remove debris from the Lazarre Park area of West Monroe and also in areas of south Monroe, two of the hardest hit sections from the tornado. Nearly 300 homes were hit in Monroe and Ouachita Parish, and the Monroe Regional Airport received an estimated $30 million in damage.
A Louisiana Baptist volunteer moved trees that had fallen on a property in the Monroe area. First Baptist West Monroe photo
Michael Wood, lead pastor at First West, said in a video posted on the church’s Facebook page that Easter was “wild.” He shared his message that morning before 11,000 viewers online and then by the afternoon was working alongside others to help with storm cleanup.
“Never would I have imagined an Easter where I would have preached to an empty worship center and then deal with a tornado right here in our community, but that is our reality,” Wood said. “We have had teams working in West Monroe and Monroe and there is still work to do.”
A volunteer used a chain saw to clear debris. First Baptist West Monroe photo
