Hurricane Barry: MOVE Deployment

17 July – IEEE-USA’s MOVE team stopped by the
Mississippi Red Cross headquarters in Flowood, MS yesterday. WJTV 12 caught up with Grayson Randall who explained the team’s efforts and capabilities. Check out the video here:

16 July – The MOVE team has left Baton Rouge and after a stop in Jackson, Mississippi (to meet with the Red Cross). Then they will continue to Atlanta. The Red Cross will be conducting training there next week and the MOVE Leadership may (not confirmed yet) be demonstrating the vehicle’s capabilities.

15 July – Hurricane Barry was not nearly as damaging as had been projected. There is some localized flooding, but not across the entire state. The focus has been shifted from sheltering and mass care to disaster assessment and recovery. Based on the current needs, the IEEE MOVE truck has been released from this disaster response. Plans change quickly, but we were glad to have been there to support if needed.

14 July – Butch Shadwell and Grayson Randall drove the IEEE MOVE truck from Birmingham Al to Baton Rouge Louisiana. Arrived at DRO-HQ, disaster response operation headquarters for Louisiana. They experienced several really hard downpours, but generally just light rain. No noticeable wind.

The team did not see any real damage or flooding on their route. Upon arrival, the team met with the Red Cross DST team.

Hurricane Barry has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but threats of heavy rain, tornados, and flash floods still persist.

Tomorrow (meeting at 7 am) The team will get additional information about the disaster response operation and current plans.


13 July – The Team is standing by in Birmingham AL. They are still waiting for winds to die down in Louisiana (The MOVE truck is a very high profile vehicle and sensitive to high winds).

Today in Birmingham, there were clouds and some showers. These are related to the tropical system. It’s hard to believe it extends this far.

Tomorrow’s plan is still very dynamic. Percy ‘Butch’ Shadwell will join Grayson Randall in Birmingham. They will be working with Red Cross volunteers on site in Louisiana to understand current conditions and needs. Decisions will be made during our journey as to the destination.

As Barry is moving extremely slowly, plans are constantly being updated and evaluated. Everyone’s safety is the top priority.


12 July – IEEE-USA’s MOVE team has been deployed to the gulf coast to support Red Cross operation for tropical storm Barry. They have been assigned to operations headquarters in Baton Rouge.

To keep the team and truck safe, they are waiting for the winds to recede before taking the truck into the area. The team has been in touch with the Red Cross on where to place the truck and will be in constant communications with Red Cross volunteers on where it will be utilized.

The truck is currently in Birmingham AL where we the team is meeting with IEEE volunteers Gregg Vaughn and David Green. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.


You Can Help

MOVE is funded by donations like yours. Your support is greatly appreciated. Please consider helping the MOVE Community Outreach program by donating to the cause.

Interested in volunteering? Please visit our volunteer information page.


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