MOVE Deployed to Louisiana to Help with Flood Relief Efforts

The MOVE truck has been deployed to provide critical support to aid workers and victims of the devastating flooding in Louisiana. The IEEE-USA team on route includes IEEE Director Jim Conrad, Eastern NC Section Chair Grayson Randall, and IEEE Volunteer Tim Forrester.

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The IEEE-USA MOVE team headed to Louisiana – Aug 16, 2016

The American Red Cross is helping more than 10,000 people in dozens of emergency shelters in Louisiana after unprecedented flooding has left 15 rivers in record flood stage.

Thousands of people have been forced from their homes with little but the clothes on their backs. The floods come nearly 11 years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area. Hundreds of Red Cross disaster volunteers are opening shelters, and providing meals and comfort. Volunteers from Eastern North Carolina are en route to Louisiana to bolster response efforts. The IEEE-USA MOVE (communication, technology support, and outreach) vehicle, a partner of Eastern NC Red Cross, is also on its way to provide a satellite system, for wireless Internet access, and a recharging station.

“Hundreds of families have been forced from their homes as a result of these floods,” said Barry Porter, regional CEO of the Red Cross in Eastern NC. “Our volunteers and a few staff are on our way to help them pick up the pieces and to be there for support.”

Flooding is expected to continue for several days, and once waters recede it will take some time to fully uncover the extent of the devastation. The Red Cross will be working closely partners in the days ahead to ensure people receive the help they need as quickly as possible. Flooding is also threatening communities in Mississippi, where Red Cross volunteers provided safe refuge to nearly 70 people Saturday night.

Source: American Red Cross

Photo: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards visiting with people sheltered at the Minidome at Southern University in Baton Rouge – @elizabethcrisp