BEAUMONT, Texas - On Sunday, our motor convoy of disaster relief staff, mobile command center, mobile kitchen, 20-ton crane, skid steer loader, construction trailer and truckloads of roofing supplies, food, water and relief supplies, left the staging area near Dallas at 5:30 a.m. for what should have been a 5 hour drive to Beaumont, Texas.

Because of heavy traffic and fuel shortage, the trip to Beaumont took 9.5 hours.

Our team arrived at Beaumont’s Cathedral in the Pines Church around 3:30 p.m. Sunday and began to set up a command center and volunteer headquarters that will serve the local area as well as hard hit areas around Orange, Texas. Our primary mission is to house, feed and coordinate volunteer teams much the same as we did in Slidell following Hurricane Katrina. Later this week we will be sending volunteer teams out to repair roofs, clear debris and help in a variety of ways as directed by local emergency management.

We are not ready to accommodate volunteers yet, but encourage those interested in volunteering to call 757-374-0944 (9 a.m.- 5 p.m.)

Right now, there is no power in Beaumont or much of the stricken area. We have brought our own diesel generators as well as satellite communication and internet equipment.

Our U.S. Director of Disaster Relief, Jody Herrington, visited the State of Texas Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Austin twice during the days prior to storm’s arrival and is in continuous communication with officials there.

Late yesterday, Texas State officials requested that OBI set up a mobile kitchen in Beaumont and feed “first responders” beginning Tuesday afternoon. OBI will partner with Mercy Chefs and feed hot meals to National Guard, Texas Rangers, Wildlife and Fisheries personnel, and local police as well as Operation Blessing staff and volunteers.

Today, three additional tractor-trailer trucks will arrive to Beaumont with more food, relief supplies, tools and equipment to facilitate our volunteer crews.

Jody is in touch with several pastors in Beaumont, Orange and Bridge City and continues to assess needs in those three areas.

Our greatest need is cash donations to help us continue financing our relief efforts and reach as many victims as possible with relief and recovery.

In addition to the U.S. Gulf Coast, OBI is also providing relief to hurricane-devastated Haiti. Operation Blessing is providing a 10,000 gallon-per-day water purification system which is being flown by our partner DHL and will arrive in Haiti tomorrow. Already our teams have coordinated with OBI’s German partner, Humedica, to supply emergency food and medical care to desperate hurricane victims.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Bill Horan, Disaster, Latin America, North America. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.