Dallas-based Christian nonprofit brings relief to millions impacted by Hurricane Beryl
DALLAS – A Dallas-based Christian nonprofit has deployed volunteers to provide relief to southeast Texas residents, where millions of homes are out of power after Hurricane Beryl ripped through Houston and its metropolitan area.
By early Tuesday morning, Texans on Mission deployed about 25 volunteers for their feeding units alone and dozens more are expected to make the trip to the Houston area to help those in need.
The nonprofit's trailers are equipped with everything from washing machines to mobile kitchens.
Hot meals and clean laundry for southeast Texas residents
John Hall, chief mission officer of Texans on Mission, said that residents can drop off their laundry to get it washed, dried and folded within 24 hours.
"It's just one small thing that they don't have to think about," he said. "They have suffered through this situation."
Small, everyday things like laundry are chores ones doesn't think about too often, but they're just as important when trying to get through a natural disaster, Hall said.
The mobile kitchen trailers are equipped to provide between 6,000 and 30,000 meals a day.
"They may not see me, but they would see the food, and years or days or hours later, they can know that Jesus provided this meal for them," said Joe Crutchfield, who's in charge of setting up the kitchens.
"[The food will] be hot, good and remind people that we care about you and God cares about you," Hall added.
Houston is now experiencing a heat wave in the wake of the storm and emergency management officials asked residents to avoid all unnecessary travel on Tuesday to allow crews to begin cleaning up debris and restore power.
"You can't cook for yourself, you find out you can't clean your own clothes. You just can't do the little things that we take so much for granted. So even when someone brings us a load of dirty laundry and we wash it and we dry it and we fold it, we give it back to them in 24 hours, they don't even have to worry about it. People just break down in tears," Hall said.
Many North Texas firefighters also headed to the coast to help those directly impacted by Hurricane Beryl's wrath.
The DeSoto Fire Department deployed one of its reserve fire engines with four firefighters. They are part of a strike team with crews from the Arlington, Midlothian, Grand Prairie, Fort Worth and College Station fire departments.