Mercy Chefs deploys to Kerr County, Texas to aid victims of severe flooding

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) -- Mercy Chefs, a Portsmouth-based disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization, is responding to the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas.

With just hours of warning, flash floods brought terror onto the landscape of Kerr County on Friday. Rescue crews spent the weekend pouring through the wreckage.

Dozens of people are known to be dead, including several children. Many were staying at the now destroyed Camp Mystic. Amid the chaos, hometown help set up shop at the lone star state.

The nonprofit served hundreds of meals to victims, first responders and search-and-rescue crews Saturday evening.

"Our team will do anything they have to do to get the job done, regardless of the numbers," said Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs.

The Portsmouth-based organization is there to serve hot meals to victims, volunteers and first responders. They are expecting to serve between three and four-thousand people on Sunday alone, but say they can do even more. LeBlanc said the devastation there is unimaginable, with the Guadalupe River rising by at least 25 feet.

"Rivers in these sorts of events are full of debris," he described. "They're full of cars, they're full of trees, they're full of parts of home. Here, they were full of barbed wire, and fences, and unfortunately, the rivers were also full of people that were trying to navigate that. You can see the debris lines along the riverbanks. You can look up 20 to 25 feet and see where the debris was wedged into trees."

The organization is partnering with local churches to establish public meal pickup locations.

“The devastation unfolding in Kerr County is truly heartbreaking. Our prayers are with the families who have lost loved ones and with those still waiting for word on the missing,” said LeBlanc. “Flash flooding has overwhelmed communities across central Texas. Our team is on the ground bringing hot meals and comfort to those who are suffering.”

Some of the organization's team members live and work nearby in Wimberly, Texas. Several joined Mercy Chefs following devastating flooding in Wimberly in 2015.

“This is one of the many reasons why Mercy Chefs is able to get meals out so quickly to people in need,” said LeBlanc. “Our team quickly mobilized and started cooking. Another reason is our chefs’ incredible heart to serve their neighbors.” 

As the search for survivors gets more bleak, they hope to provide some sense of comfort.

"We think a high-quality, hand-crafted chef prepared meal can bring hope, can bring comfort in a moment of tragedy," LeBlanc said.

Mercy Chefs has served more than 30 million meals since its founding in 2006 in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.