On Sunday, August 31st, five Hope Force Reservists departed from Nashville in a convoy of Salvation Army canteens, trailers and vehicles for Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Workers gathered from surrounding states to prepare for the onslaught of Hurricane Gustav. Storm winds, tornado warnings and pounding rains held the team there for two days until Gustav subsided.


Upon assessment, the Incident Command Team chose Baton Rouge for the final deployment location. The team arrived Tuesday afternoon to an entire city with no power. With high temperatures, high humidity, no local services, no ice and no AC, and no working traffic signals, residents welcomed the Salvation Army team to their city.


60 workers are camped with cots in a civic center. Food canteens serve lunch and dinner to affected communities. Some reports indicate power might not return to key areas of Baton Rouge for weeks. As residents lined up 20 and 30 deep, stories began to pour forth of trees toppled onto homes, torrential rains and wind damage.

Our Hope Force Reservists will remain in Baton Rouge for a two week deployment. Current review indicates that help will be needed for a number of weeks to come.