The Dallas-based nonprofit Texas Baptist Men is among the North Texas-based organizations mobilizing to assist people affected by Hurricane Ida.
Volunteers gathered Monday morning at the relief group's Dallas warehouse with no specific destination planned. That would be decided once daylight revealed which areas of Louisiana needed the most help, said spokesman John Hall.
For the past 53 years, the organization has responded to major disasters in Texas and other states. Plans were in place on Saturday to send at least 75 people toward southern Louisiana on Monday morning.
Photos: Dallas-Based Texas Baptist Men Mobilize for Hurricane Ida Recovery in Louisiana
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"As the sun rises, assessors will be on the ground, looking at cities, looking at needs, and we will be guiding these volunteers while they're en route," Hall said.
Among the arsenal of supplies is a mobile kitchen capable of feeding large numbers of people -- 30,000 people a day, Hall said. Other supplies included a shower, laundry, and electricity units.
"We've got a full day ahead of us and a full many weeks ahead of serving," Hall said.
Ida weakened to a tropical storm Monday as it moved northeast, leaving all of New Orleans without power and coastal Louisiana communities inundated with floodwaters. NBC 5's Meredith Yeomans reported from Baton Rouge, where power was on but the cellphone signal was nonexistent.
"You don't understand what has happened until the sun has come up, you can see your house, you can see your neighbors. These are some of the most difficult days of peoples' lives."
Financial donations go a long way in helping deliver supplies and volunteers to the communities in most need, Hall said. Donations can be made online.
The American Red Cross is accepting donations. Here's more on how to help.
