Despite a slight interruption by Hurricane / Tropical Storm Nicholas, the response to Hurricane Ida in southeast Louisiana continues. SBC Disaster Relief units remain deployed, as are Samaritans Purse, Team Rubicon, Salvation Army, Operation Blue Roof, and Crisis Clean Up.

There remains a need for volunteers to help with clean-up or recovery. One of the hardest hit areas is the Northshore Baptist Association, serving the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain in Southeast Louisiana. Their director, Don Pucik, has a list of churches willing to host self-contained groups (responsible for own tools, supplies, and feeding). These groups will assist with mud out, chainsaw & recovery, and debris removal. Contact Don by email at don@northshorebaptists.net. You may also contact your state convention Disaster Relief leadership or Samaritan’s Purse about volunteering.

If your church has collected items and need the GTBN to facilitate delivery to the disaster area, please contact the office at 409-832-1110 or office@gtbn.us. Updates to the needed supply list and distribution locations can be found at the Louisiana Baptist Convention Disaster Relief website.

Several churches have partnered with churches in the affected area to assist their recovery. If you would like to join the Louisiana Baptist Convention Churches Helping Churches initiative, click here.

You may give to support the hurricane Ida response through GTBN, or the Disaster Relief Ministries of Texas Baptist Men, Southern Baptists of Texas, NAMB, or the Louisiana Baptist Convention.

Update, 1:53 PM, 9/16/2022

I just received the following email from Don Pucik with Northshore Association in Louisiana:

Jim – per our conversation I am sending you this information and copying Joe Arnold. We are still needing teams to do chainsaw, tarping, and mud out in the Northshore, but we are getting plenty of supplies.  Joe’s churches were harder hit closer to landfall. He supplied me with the list below for his area…

 Joe Arnold, Director of Missions, Bayou Baptist Association, bayoubaptistbj@bellsouth.net, cell: 985-856-2224

 Drop Sites

  1. Covenant Church (FBC, Houma) 4863 W Park Ave., Houma, LA 70364 Contact: Jan Folmar 985-209-5003

  2. Raceland First Baptist Church, 104 Mississippi Street, Raceland, LA 70394 Contact: Billy Taylor 434-942-3286

  3. Golden Meadow First Baptist Church, 169 Oakridge Dr, Golden Meadow, LA 70357 Contact: Matt Chouest 985-291-1120

  4. Coteau Baptist Church, 2066 Coteau Rd, Houma, LA 70364 Contact: Wayne Hunt 985-227-3100

 Supplies needed:

Work gloves

Diapers (all sizes, especially sizes 4,5,6)

Cleaning supplies (bleach, Lysol spray and wipes, rags for cleaning)

Snack foods

Trash bags

Shampoo

Deodorant

Dishwashing liquid

Laundry detergent

Baby wipes

Soap

Toilet paper

Paper towels

Washcloths

Batteries

Gatorade

Crystal light for water bottles

Mops

Brooms

Duct tape

Body wash

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