September 23, 2020 | 4:45 p.m.
“It looked like a war zone.”
That was how Eric Gordon, Convoy of Hope’s Southeast Program Center Director described parts of Orange Beach, Alabama, after Hurricane Sally passed over the area earlier this month. Twelve-foot walls of floodwater displaced boats and cars, many of which came to rest along the side of the roads. Entire communities were inundated with water. Many of the residents did not evacuate because they didn’t anticipate the hurricane to be as strong as it was or to affect such a wide swath of the state.
Despite the difficulty getting to the area, Convoy of Hope was there to help. “We were the first organization on the ground,” Eric says with a smile. Convoy of Hope provided 10 tractor-trailer loads of food, water, and cleaning supplies to survivors.
Within 30 minutes of the trucks arriving and supplies being unloaded and organized, cars were lined up “as far as the eye could see.” After only a few days of distributing goods, Convoy of Hope team members and volunteers served more than 17,000 people and handed out more than 135,000 pounds of product.
September 17, 2020 | 4:25 p.m.
Hurricane Sally was the fourth hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. in 2020 — a record that hasn’t been broken in 16 years. Amid a global pandemic, those living along the Gulf Coast now have to navigate severe flooding and storm-related damage.
Convoy of Hope deployed a Disaster Services team to Alabama with relief supplies to help those suffering from the storm. Local church partners will be distributing supplies to affected residents. Distributions will take place as soon as they are set up.
September 16, 2020 | 10 a.m.
Hurricane Sally made landfall in Alabama early this morning as a Category 2 storm. Although the rating has since dropped to Category 1, Sally is slow-moving and still has the potential to cause “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding” according to the National Hurricane Center.
Convoy of Hope has already been in touch with partners in Alabama and Florida. Our team is poised and ready to respond, even in the midst of helping those suffering from Hurricane Laura, the raging West Coast Fires, and the global COVID-19 pandemic.
