VBMB Relief Unit Deployed To Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Today has been another travel day for the VBMB team. They planned to drive to McComb, MS and then were redirected to Alexandria, LA and finally to Baton Rouge, LA. They spent a good deal of the day driving across Mississippi. As they moved into Louisiana they have encountered damage from Gustav in various forms: flooding, widespread power outages, and downed trees.

The team is planning to setup their mobile kitchen at Istrouma Baptist Church in the Baton Rouge area. This church is located near I-12 and should provide good access (see map) for Red Cross ERV vehicles.

The following is a statement from the VBMB Disaster Relief web site.

The following Disaster Relief units have been activated to deploy to Baton
Rouge, Louisiana:

• One Mass Feeding Unit, capable of preparing 15,000 meals per day.
• One Recovery Unit, equipped with chainsaws, pumps, and other tools to clear
  debris and clean up mud.
• One Shower Unit
• One Water Purification Unit
• One Command and Communications Unit
• Two Crisis Care Chaplains

Virginia Baptists have approximately 65 trained Disaster Relief volunteers
responding to Hurricane Gustav. Other volunteers may relieve the initial
team in Louisiana, depending on the length of the deployment.