Hurricane Laura slammed southern Louisiana early Thursday, August 27 as a Category 4 storm, one of the most powerful to strike the Gulf Coast in decades. The storm made landfall at 1 a.m. near Cameron, La., about 35 miles east of the Texas border.
Downtown Lake Charles, La., took a heavy hit, with widespread destruction from Laura’s devastating winds. Roofs were peeled off, buildings were destroyed, and lampposts were tossed into the streets. An industrial plant that makes chlorine-based products nearby was on fire, sending caustic smoke throughout the area and leading to a shelter-in-place order.
The devastation of Laura in Louisiana and Texas has felt “like a week out of a bad science fiction novel,” one mayor said as the storm, now a tropical depression, wends its way Friday into the Mid-South. About 700,000 residents in the two states remain without electricity, and 8 million are still under a flash flood watch, with heavy rain and isolated tornadoes forecast. A heat advisory is in effect until Saturday night for more than 30 million people in Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, the National Weather Service says. Heat indexs could reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Friday and Saturday.
Calvary Disaster Relief is currently working with Mercy Chefs. They recently arrived in Lake Charles and began setting up operations. Along with extensive damage, the water treatment plant was badly damaged.
What this means is NO water. Not just contaminated water, but no water. He is desperately in need of a water truck or trailer, to be able to move operations closer to the impact area. Along with serving over 500,000 meals a month to needy families during the COVID pandemic, this is their third major deployment of this hurricane season.
Calvary Disaster Relief is sending a team out to meet with Mercy Chefs. Both ministers are currently in need of resources and financial assistance. Please be in prayer and if you or your church can help financially or happens to have access to a portable water truck, either would be a huge blessing right now.
The mission of Mercy Chefs is simple: Just go feed people. Mercy Chefs is currently serving meals to those impacted by Hurricane Laura’s devastating aftermath in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The nonprofit is serving lunch daily from 11 am-1 pm and dinner from 4-6 pm at Life United Church, located at 1800 E. College St., Lake Charles, Louisiana, for as long as the need exists.
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UPDATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2020
The mission of Mercy Chefs is simple: Just go feed people. Mercy Chefs is currently serving meals to those impacted by Hurricane Laura’s devastating aftermath in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The nonprofit is serving lunch daily from 11 am-1 pm and dinner from 4-6 pm at Life United Church, located at 1800 E. College St., Lake Charles, Louisiana, for as long as the need exists. For more information and to be connected with local resources, visit the links below.
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UPDATE: SATURDAY 9/19/2020
We have deployed a Team to the DeQuincy, LA. They are currently serving in the community and preparing for more teams. We have shipped a semi truckload of relief supplies that arrived on Sunday. Those items began meeting some of the great needs that exist in DeQuincy and the surrounding Lake Charles area. the Lord has opened doors for CDR to use a Baptist church in DeQuincy La. We look forward to future teams joining with us for the Lord’s continued blessing on all the work needed in DeQuincy and our new effort in Foley Alabama with Calvary Chapel Foley. Please be praying about sending a team and any financial support that you are able to give.
After serving over 89,000 hot meals and delivering over 38,000 packaged meal kits to the survivors of Hurricane Laura Mercy Chefs has just redeployed to Pensacola FL in the aftermath of Hurricane Sally. CDR has identified a location in De Quincy, LA and has an assessment team on site. They are making preparations to begin receiving teams.
