Hurricane Ian continues to grow stronger with some forecasting it could strike the west coast of Florida as Category 4 hurricane with winds as strong as 140 mph and high storm surges by landfall. As of Tuesday afternoon, the cities of Tampa and St. Petersburg appeared to be in the storm’s path. The last time a major hurricane struck that area was in 1921.
IBSA Missions Director Shannon Ford said although Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteers are not on standby at this time, it is “a good time to check your equipment and go bag in case we are asked to assist.”
According to Ford, State Disaster Relief Directors will have an update meeting Wednesday (Sept. 28). “We will update you on Wednesday after the Director’s call,” he said in an email to IBDR volunteers, “or sooner if we get additional information.”
The Mississippi Baptist Record reported Sept. 26 that state’s Disaster Relief volunteers have joined those from Florida in being placed on standby status with “anticipated needs for mass feeding, volunteer teams feeding, chainsaw, flood recovery, shower facilities, and incident management/administration.”
If you are an Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief volunteer, please note, should there be a callout you must have a current badge to participate. Check your badge or call the IBDR office at (217) 391-3126 to verify your status.
With thousands currently under mandatory evacuation orders Ford asked Illinois Baptists to “pray for the people of Florida and any other areas that may be involved.”