Baton Rouge volunteers head to Kentucky for flood relief
BATON ROUGE - A team of four volunteers with the Red Cross left Baton Rouge Saturday morning and are on their way to Kentucky, hoping to help those suffering from severe flooding.
So far, 25 people have been confirmed dead. Among them, four were children. The effects of the downpours have left Kentucky counties like Breathitt, Letcher and Perry in a crisis.
Many homes and buildings were swept away by running waters, and many streets now look more like waterways.
"I got the call last night," said Brian Cox, one volunteer among those leaving our area to help.
Cox, like much of his team, has years of experience in disaster relief, especially coming from Southeast Louisiana.
Cora Lee has also seen many floods during her service. But even with years of experience in flood relief, this disaster still had her questioning what she's dealt with before.
“I said, 'well shoot, that's worse than the 2016 flood here,'" Lee said when she saw what was happening across Eastern Kentucky.
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Now, the team is on a mission to help locals start the recovery process.
For the next two weeks, the Red Cross volunteers will work in the eastern region of Kentucky to provide shelter, food and support to those in need.
They say the feeling of what they're able to accomplish is something they'll bring back with them to the city of Baton Rouge.
"Words can't express how good of a feeling it is when I leave and come back home and say, 'yeah, I went there,'" Cox said.