KOKOMO, Ind. — Continuing flood conditions in northern Indiana mean that Southern Baptist disaster relief forces were not expected to operate in the area until the first week of August. But as the waters recede, disaster relief leaders say, there will be no shortage of opportunity for ministry.
“What we’ve heard is that more than 1,000 homes have been affected,” said Joel Phillips, off-site coordinator for the effort and part of the North American Mission Board’s volunteer mobilization team. “Our assessment is the water is too high to do work right now,” Phillips said, but work was to start in the Kokomo area the first week of August.
Four deaths have been reported resulting from the flooding since July 4. Initial plans are that an incident response team will be sent in to coordinate the work, along with “mud-out” units to help residents clean up after the flood. Needs for mobile kitchens are still being assessed. The effort promises to be the largest of a string of disaster relief responses over the past two weeks, primarily due to flooding.
In Sarasota, Fla., a three-week operation by volunteers from three additional states is anticipated to help residents clean mud out of 45 homes. Last week volunteers also responded to flooding in West Virginia, Kentucky and Louisiana. More than 25,000 trained volunteers currently are part of the Southern Baptist disaster relief network nationwide.
The units generally are owned and operated by state conventions and local associations and coordinated nationally by the North American Mission Board.
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