COCOA, Fla. — A Cocoa church opened its doors Monday to people displaced by flooding across Brevard County.
Parker Memorial Missionary Baptist Church has been transformed into a temporary evacuation shelter, with volunteers from the American Red Cross working to help residents forced out of their homes
Brevard County officials contacted the Red Cross earlier Monday requesting assistance. As of Monday night, the Red Cross said it was the only evacuation shelter open in Brevard County.
The shelter has enough cots to accommodate 26 people. By Monday evening, 17 residents had already arrived on two buses, along with several pets.
“Whatever they need. If we don’t have it, we’ll go get it,” Pastor Addison Mitchell said.
Red Cross volunteers are also on site to make sure residents have access to basic necessities while they wait for conditions to improve.
“Everyone is protected, everyone is safe, they’re warm, they are dry,” said Kathy Burket with the American Red Cross. “And that’s the key thing that we wanna do is just make sure that everybody is okay.”
With Election Day on Tuesday, the church is also making arrangements to help residents staying at the shelter get to the polls.
Mitchell said church buses are ready to transport residents to their polling places if needed.
The shelter is located at 4101 Melvin Chatman Way in Cocoa and will remain open until further notice.
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