When disaster strikes, the Texas Baptist Men spring into action. On Tuesday, volunteers and chaplains left for Kentucky with mobile laundry units in tow, ready to help flood victims.
"They just don't have time to take care of things, you know? The little things; you don't think about that sometimes, said David Wells, director of disaster relief at Texas Baptist Men. "That's why we're there, just to bring that hope and healing."
As of Tuesday afternoon, the death toll from flooding in Kentucky stood at 37 and was expected to rise. The flooding also destroyed homes.
"When floods come in, just everything gets wet," Wells said. "A lot of these folks, it happened so quickly, you just can't get everything out. You just can't plan for that."
Get DFW local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC DFW newsletters.
The TBM mobile laundry units are self-contained with propane-powered washers and dryers. Volunteers will do laundry and fold it, so it's ready for pickup.
"It's a pretty efficient, pretty fast operation, you know? We can do a lot of laundry out of one of these units," Wells explained. "People are going through so much. They've lost their homes, and they're worried about this, worried about that. Anything we can give them to give them a little bit of peace of mind is always helpful to them."
Texas Baptist Men expect to be deployed to Kentucky for up to three weeks. The nonprofit also has a team helping flooding recovery efforts in St. Louis, Missourri.
