Volunteers From Tulsa Church Help Louisiana Flood Victims

A group of volunteers from Tulsa Hills Church of the Nazarene are in Louisiana, responding to the flood-ravaged Baton Rouge area. 

They were put right to work "mudding" houses, according to Pastor Jim Thornton. Houses that were under several feet of water after the flood must be stripped down to the studs in the walls.

"We got here last night and started today," Thornton said. "All the sheetrock, all the insulation, cabinetry - everything has to come out."

Although the homes don't look bad from the outside, everything inside was ruined and has been dragged out into the streets. Tremendous amounts of mold are growing "almost by the hour," Thornton said.

Five people from the Tulsa area traveled down to Louisiana as part of the Nazarene Disaster Response. They join volunteers from all over the country who are working to help those who lost so much in the record floods, the pastor said.

"I've met with another Nazarene pastor down here; his whole congregation is affected," Thornton said. "There are lots of hurting people."

The group from Tulsa will be there until Friday then plan to return.

They were surprised when they first arrived to find crisis care kits that were packed at their church in Tulsa earlier this year being unloaded for use.

"It was kind of amazing that when we pulled into the church parking lot, there they were."

Tulsa Hills Church of the Nazarene has sent teams to Louisiana after a 2005 hurricane and Joplin after the 2011 tornado.