By Kentucky Today

LOUISVILLE — As expected, Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief teams have been called to aid in response to Hurricane Idalia, which began its destructive path in Florida and moved up the coast through Georgia and the Carolinas.

Almost 375,000 customers in Florida and Georgia lost power while rushing water covered streets near the coast. As the eye moved inland, high winds shredded signs, sent sheet metal flying and snapped tall trees.

About 30 KYDR volunteers will be leaving Thursday for Blackshear, Georgia with an incident command team, the feeding unit and chaplains for now, said KYDR Director Ron Crow. “We will ramp up from there,” he said. “They’re going to be without power and have a lot of displaced people. The sooner we get set up, the better.”

The feeding team will begin serving meals on Friday night, he said.

Chaplains will be ministering to the emotional and spiritual needs of those affected by the flooding. Crow said he was hoping to have another 30 ready to serve soon.

Another KYDR team from Ashland will be going to nearby Charleston, W.Va., to help with flood recovery in that area.

Crow said he is grateful for the Cooperative Program which makes the relief efforts possible.