2016 Year in Review
7 Disasters in 6 States In 2016, Operation BBQ Relief deployed to 7 disasters in 6 states. Approximately 536,874 meals were served over 45 days. The first deployment of the year in January was in response to flooding in St. Louis. In March, OBR deployed to Louisiana...
Gatlinburg, Tennessee (Fire) / 13,400 Meals Over 3 Days
From November to December, 2016, a fire that began in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park spread to the neighboring communities. This massive fire killed 14 people, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and businesses, and forced the evacuation of approximately 14,000...
Louisiana
Louisiana State Lead Bryan Roppolo celebrated Operation BBQ Relief Day of Giving by preparing over 1200 Thanksgiving meals in partnership with The Salvation Army USA. We are thankful for all of the volunteers who gave up their holiday to help others.
Fayetteville & Lumberton, North Carolina (Hurricane) / 118,700 Meals Over 8 Days
Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina in October 2016. This Category 5 hurricane left over $6 billion in damages and 28 people dead throughout the southeastern United States. In Lumberton, the Lumber River flooded and either damaged or destroyed multiple homes and...
Hammond & Baton Rouge, Lousiana (Flooding) / 313,587 Meals Over 13 Days
In August 2016, Louisiana experienced over 30 inches of rainfall during a three-day period which led to catastrophic flooding. Approximately 146,000 homes were damaged across the state and at least 13 people were killed. In response, Operation BBQ Relief quickly...
Eureka, Kansas (Tornado) / 1,700 Meals Over 3 Days
Eureka was impacted by two tornadoes late on July 7, 2016. An EF3 tornado occurred just northwest of Eureka and an EF2 tornado occurred through the city of Eureka. Luckily, there were no fatalities or serious injuries. But debris, damaged homes, and power loss led to...