Latest news with #OperationBlessing
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Hampton Roads teams deploy to Texas to help with rescue, relief efforts after devastating floods
A Virginia Beach water rescue team and two Hampton Roads charitable organizations are among the local groups heading to Central Texas to assist with rescue and relief efforts after flash floods claimed more than 80 lives. Eight members of the Virginia Beach Fire Department's Swift Water Rescue Team left Sunday evening and are expected to arrive Tuesday, said department spokeswoman Barbara Morrison. A similar team from Bristol, Virginia, will join them, Morrison said. The Virginia Beach group is hauling a boat and a trailer full of equipment, including ropes and life vests, to help with search and rescue efforts. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Sunday that 41 people were still unaccounted for, and more could be missing. More than two dozen staff members from the Portsmouth-based charitable organization Mercy Chefs arrived Saturday in Kerr County, Texas, and began working with volunteers to provide hot meals to survivors and first responders, according to spokesman Chaz Whitfield. The team served about 600 meals the first day, Whitfield said, and about 2,000 the second. The first day's offerings included Italian pasta, garlic breadsticks, Caesar salad, and pineapple cake with fresh berries. 'They're (staff members) going to be there as long as there is a need,' Whitfield said. 'We have no directive for an end date.' Several members of the Virginia Beach-based Operation Blessing also arrived over the weekend, and are using a local church's kitchen to prepare meals, spokesman Chris Roslan said. The team will also help with cleanup efforts and distribute relief supplies as long as needed, he said. The flooding began overnight Thursday in the Texas Hill Country as the Guadalupe River rose more than 26 feet in less than an hour. The area is home to several youth camps, including Camp Mystic, an all-girl Christian summer camp. As of Monday, 27 campers and staff members had been reported dead and 11 others were still missing. Jane Harper,
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Hurricane Helene victim gets new home thanks to the organization 'Operation Blessing'
The Brief A recent Hurricane Helene victim got a new home thanks to the organization 'Operation Blessing'. Pamela Blome has spent the last few months volunteering in the devastated areas of North Carolina serving meals to first responders. The organization 'Operation Blessing' has been rebuilding her home. ST. PETERSBURG, Fla - A hurricane victim got the surprise of a lifetime Saturday. Pamela Blome's home was destroyed during Hurricane Helene after taking on several feet of water. Despite the loss, she spent the last few months volunteering in the devastated areas of North Carolina serving meals to first responders all while the organization 'Operation Blessing' has been rebuilding her home. She couldn't believe her eyes as she got a peek at her new home for the very first time. "There's no words. It's just it's so fresh and clean and the last time I was in here it smelled like sewage. All the walls were tore out and I still remember seeing the black mold," Blome said. Photo show what her home looked like after Hurricane Helene when 3 feet of water got inside. Now after months of work and repairs by the organization Operation Blessing she can now move back in. READ: 250 St. Pete seniors remain displaced two months after apartment building evacuated What they're saying "Pamela's actually been in the field with us the last five and a half months, cooking for victims of Hurricane Helene while we've been here rebuilding her house," Operation Blessing Chief Operating Officer Drew Friedrich said. After the storm, she went to North Carolina and cooked meals for first responders for several months so Operation Blessing wanted to return the favor and help one of their own. "I have worked with Operation Blessing for seven years now and I just I always say that I don't feed people's stomach. I like to feed their soul. I just love watching people eat my food," Blome said. A team of 10 volunteers and local contractors helped bring her home back to life gutting roughly 70 percent of the inside. They rewired the electrical system and replaced all lights, the floors and the doors restoring it back a livable space. "When our teams go in we bring help and hope to people who are really, really hurting. Our donors, our supporters, our volunteers allow us to show up and really make a difference in the lives of those who've been through a ton and we're so grateful for the chance to serve Pamela," Friedrich said. Blome says she will be forever grateful for Operation Blessing. "It's just awesome to have great friends and family," Blome said. The Source Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Jordan Bowen. STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
