SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Springfield’s Convoy of Hope has arrived in Perry, Florida to aid in hurricane relief.   

“It’s an area that was hit really hard. It’s a very rural area. So a lot of trees are down in this area. Power is out in this area,” said Ethan Forhetz, Vice President of Public Engagement for Convoy of Hope. “And it’s a, it’s a big mess in this area where power is out and trees are really down all over roads everywhere.”

A Convoy of Hope team arrived in the Gulf Coast Wednesday night, getting set up for the next day. They are preparing to distribute supplies, but the first step is to clear fallen trees and other debris from a church parking lot to ensure residents can get in and out to receive supplies like food, water and other essentials. 

This will be a lengthy cleanup process and Convoy of Hope will be help beyond this week. Another crew from Convoy of Hope has already left Springfield with more supplies for those impacted by the storms. 

“They’ll get here tomorrow and then we will begin distributions. We will unload a lot of the product that’s on these trucks behind me,” Forhetz said. “And we’ll begin working with the church and with the community to be able to hand out the food and water and the tarps and things like that that people need immediately following a disaster.”