Oklahoma Southern Baptist Volunteers To Assist In Louisiana

Oklahomans are preparing to go to the "eye of the storm" and provide relief for those hit by Hurricane Isaac.

A group of Southern Baptist volunteers will leave Oklahoma Thursday morning for Baton Rouge. The group of some 75 volunteers will head to Louisiana in the morning. These are the same volunteers that responded after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005.

8/29/2012 Related Story: Oklahomans Riding Out Hurricane Isaac

Although Isaac hasn't ripped through the Big Easy like Katrina did, people have still been displaced. That is where the Oklahoma volunteers come in.  

There are about 100,000 Southern Baptist volunteers across the nation. In Oklahoma there are 5,000 unpaid first responders who understand idling Isaac has already changed lives.

"This storm is not nearly as severe as Katrina, obviously, but the nature of it moving so slow is dumping rain which is causing it to be a major flood event," said Sam Porter the volunteer Relief Director.

8/29/2012 Related Story: Isaac May Drop Several Inches Of Rain On Eastern Oklahoma

"They have real trees in Louisiana, when they topple the root ball is 10-15 feet tall. So we come in with chainsaws and help those people get rid of the gigantic trees," Porter said.

The crews are bringing helping hands, listening ears, chainsaws, food and even a mobile kitchen that can feed upwards of 20,000.

8/29/2012 Related Story: Oklahoma Hurricane Katrina Evacuee Worries About Family Hit By Isaac

"It's just another day in disaster relief," Porter said.

The Southern Baptist group spent five months in New Orleans after Katrina. They are planning to stay three weeks for Isaac evacuees, but say they will assess the situation once they arrive in Louisiana.

Read more about BCGO disaster relief work.

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