Local relief organizations head to Louisiana coast to aid communities that will be impacted by Hurricane Delta

Once again, a monster storm is taking aim at the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Delta is gaining strength and could make landfall by this evening as strong as Category 3.

Now, help is on the way to communities that will be impacted by Hurricane Delta.

The storm is just hours away from slamming into the Louisiana coast, already whipping the wind and dumping rain.

For people who live in these communities, this is round two. Hurricane Laura hit there in late August. Blue tarps still mark all the roofs ripped off.

“These horrific natural disasters it doesn’t discriminate against anybody,” said Lieutenant Sarah Nance.

This is not Nance’s first disaster. A member of the Fort Myers Salvation Army chapter, she’s seen the aftermath of hurricanes many times before. She knows how bad things can be.

“It’s a very heartbreaking experience,” she said. “You see people living in tents when these things happen, you see all of their belongings on the curbside from water damage, there’s just so much hurt and pain that happens from these incidents.”

She’s so proud to be a part of an organization that does so much for those survivors.

“Just to be there for people to offer compassion and hope to them…we also offer food and some housing. We offer some hygiene kids and cleaning kits. There’s so many things that the Salvation Army has to offer there,” Nance said.

As soon as it’s safe, she plans to head to Louisiana.

“Sad for the disaster, but excited to be able to help and be there for their community,” Nance said.

A community that will need all the help they can get.

The Salvation Army is not the only local relief organization headed to the Lousiana coast. All hands are on deck, including the Red Cross.

“We’re there before the storm, during the storm, after the storm,” explained Jill Palmer. She knows disaster first-hand.

Palmer has seen towns get demolished after Hurricanes Irma and Michael, but Delta is different. The hurricane is going to smack into a state already slammed by Hurricane Laura. The people have had no chance to recover.

“A disaster response is really not something that the Red Cross does alone. We work together with other responders and other organizations to meet the needs of the community,” Palmer said.

Right now, eight volunteers and staff members from the Red Cross South Florida chapter are in Louisiana.