Volunteer of the Year 2015 – Paul Peterson
Paul Peterson, Operation BBQ Relief’s 2015 Rod Cramer Volunteer of the Year, loves cooking for large groups and has a passion for helping others. Like a lot of OBR volunteers, Paul was moved by watching the effects of a devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma that...
Monroe, West Monroe & Shreveport, LA (Flooding) / 58,530 Meals Over 9 Days
From March 8 to 12, 2016, a slow-moving storm dropped over 20 inches of rain across northern Louisiana. This led to one of the most prolific flood disasters that the area had ever seen. Rain pounded the area, triggered extreme flash flooding, and caused thousands of...
St. Louis, Missouri (Flooding) / 300 Meals Over 1 Day
From late 2015 to early 2016, rivers in both Missouri and Illinois reached record levels after the area experienced almost 30 inches of rainfall. Due to flooding along the Mississippi, Meramec, and Bourbeuse Rivers, thousands of homes, businesses, and public buildings...
Rowlett & Garland, TX (Tornado) / 33,968 Meals Over 7 Days
Nine tornadoes were confirmed in Dallas and Collin counties on December 26, 2015. These storms left 11 dead and hundreds more without power and homes to return to. In the following days, the communities experienced extremely heavy rainfall and snow that furthered the...
Holly Springs, Mississippi (Tornado) / 1,800 Meals Over 2 Days
On December 23, 2015, an EF4 tornado, which was one of multiple tornadoes in the area, hit northern Mississippi and southern Tennessee. With 170 mile per hour winds, the tornado left a path of destruction over 75 miles long. The outbreak of supercell thunderstorms...
Columbia, South Carolina (Flooding) / 33,255 Meals Over 10 Days
From October 1 to 5, 2015, a historic flooding event affected North and South Carolina. This led to historic rainfall in the Charleston tri-county area. Flash flooding led to significant damage to numerous properties and roads, and many people had to be rescued by...