Texas non-profit aims to provide ‘hope and healing’ in Florida communities impacted by Hurricane Ian

SAN ANTONIO — Non-profits from throughout the nation together with Texas are gearing up to provide catastrophe reduction in areas hit hardest by Hurricane Ian, which as of Thursday has been downgraded to a tropical storm. 

Texas Baptist Men (TBM) is likely one of the organizations enroute to Florida the place sturdy winds and in depth flooding have destroyed communities.

“It’s one thing to see devastation on TV. It’s another thing to talk to a person who has just lost everything that they own,” stated TBM Director of Communications John Hall.

The energy of Mother Nature has revealed itself over the previous 24 hours as seashore cities and neighborhoods lay in damage. More than 2.6 million Floridians are at present in the darkish following the storm surge’s impression on the state’s electrical grid. Authorities estimate a considerable demise toll arising from the storm. 

Armies of TBM volunteers are educated and prepared to reply in any capability. Hall famous the group has 191 items of kit statewide to reply to pure and man-made disasters.

“Our first wave of units will be deployed on Friday. These will be going to the heart of where the hurricane made landfall. This is a very complicated situation response to something as large as this and we hope to bring a little order out of the chaos,” Hall stated. 

TBM’s mission of aiding disaster-ravaged communities dates again to the Sixties. The group has aided thousands and thousands of individuals from across the globe and educated catastrophe reduction organizations throughout the U.S. 

TBM crews have offered humanitarian support throughout Hurricane Katrina, California wildfires, and Russia’s warfare on Ukraine, which stays only a pattern of the greater than 50 years of labor. 

Hall stated crews of males and girls volunteers will wait till it’s protected earlier than shifting into Florida. TBM models are tasked with coordinating with native authorities on determining what the instant wants are in phrases of help.  

“We’re there to deliver help, hope and healing. Practical help, hope for better tomorrows and healing for the longterm,” Hall stated. “We can bring in chainsaw teams to remove downed trees. We can bring in flood recovery teams to cleanout flooded homes. We can bring in feeding teams to bring in hot and nutritious meals.”