Oklahoma Southern Baptist Relief Helps Out Here At Home

Oklahoma's Southern Baptist Relief is known for traveling all over the U.S. to aide communities after a disaster. Now, they're helping out in their own backyard.

Because of the wildfires the Southern Baptists had to pull equipment from Colorado, where they've been helping out after wildfires there, to set up two command posts in Oklahoma.

"It's very massive. It's a big job," said Mike Maxwell with Southern Baptist Relief.

Since grass fires have destroyed more than 300 homes across the state, the Southern Baptists are coming in to help out.

"We've got the feeding unit, which Red Cross provides the food and we feed people. We feed workers and Red Cross volunteers and everybody that's displaced that needs some place to get a hot meal," Maxwell said.

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Besides providing meals, Mike Maxwell said they're doing "ash-out" work, which prepares homeowner to rebuild.

"Anything made out of metal, we separate it and then we go in and cut the frames up to the mobile homes, separate the steel, and then we go back and sift through the ashes for any valuables that people might know of," Maxwell said.

Maxwell said volunteers have covered a wide range of disasters, but seeing this much damage in Oklahoma is too close for comfort.

"We know people that live in this area and some people's families are close. We like to take care of our own," Maxwell said.

Southern Baptist Relief teams plan to be in the hardest hit areas for the next three weeks.

Saturday, there will be shower and laundry trucks available as well.

If you're looking for assistance, Maxwell said to head over to the First Baptist Church in Mannford and they'll help you out.