Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief teams are on alert for likely deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall Aug. 29 in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm.
Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, around noon Sunday as a high-end Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. The strong winds downed trees and power lines, and heavy rains caused localized flooding in New Orleans and other cities in the storm’s path. At least one death has been attributed to Ida in Louisiana.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards in an early Monday morning tweet asked residents to remain in place due to “many hazards across Louisiana including flooded roadways, debris & downed powerlines.”
A 4 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center this morning (Aug. 30) said dangerous storm surge flooding is still possible along Louisiana’s coast and warned local levees could breach in areas of high storm surge and rainfall.
All of New Orleans was without power Sunday night, and more than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi were without power as of early Monday. More power outages are anticipated as the storm moves northward.
NOBTS escapes major damage
New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary escaped major damage from Ida, according to an Aug. 30 social media update by the seminary’s president, Jamie Dew.
Dew tweeted: “Very thankful this morning. No flooding on campus or major building damage. LOTS of tree and shingle damage. We will open campus as soon as possible, but until you hear from us, DO NOT plan your return to campus just yet.”
Ahead of the storm, Dew and campus leaders recommended evacuation of the campus.
Though Ida weakened to tropical storm strength as it moved inland, the storm is still expected to bring high winds and heavy rains to portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee as it tracks north and east across the U.S.
Alabama impact
Gulf Shores officials reported flooding in low-lying areas of the city on Sunday evening due to heavy rains from the outer bands of Ida.
The storm will impact much of west Alabama throughout the day Monday and the northwest corner of the state into Tuesday, bringing the threat of localized flooding due to heavy rains, tornadoes and gusty winds. Some areas of west Alabama could see as much as 6″ of rain, according to National Weather Service projections.
SBDR teams on alert
As emergency management officials assess damage in the first-hit areas, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief teams are on alert and preparing a response.
Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief officials said teams are on alert for likely deployment. An ABDR Facebook post urged churches and individuals not to collect supplies for hurricane victims unless a church or organization in the affected area specifically makes a request.
In the past, ABDR leaders have noted that gift cards are especially helpful in disaster relief situations because they allow families to buy for their specific needs. Contact your local Baptist association or ABDR team to find out about gift card collection efforts.
Monetary donations for hurricane-related disaster relief efforts may be sent to: Alabama Baptist State Board of Missions, Attn: Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, P.O. Box 681970, Prattville, Alabama 36068-1970.
Online donations may be made at https://sbdr.org/donate/. All gifts through Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief go directly to disaster relief efforts, assisting with the deployment of both volunteers and equipment such as feeding units, shower trailers, chainsaws and more.
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