Brevard County flooding leaves residents without belongings

Well, the floodwaters are receding, but for hundreds of people in Brevard County, the damage is far from over. So many people have lost everything they own. Fox 35's Bailey Bach over live in Brevard tonight. Bailey, the group helping people recover is now running out of their own supplies. Jack, the ministry here in Cocoa is scrambling to help replace those belongings for people that lost nearly everything, but they're now facing shortages of their own. When the floodwaters rose across Brevard County some people lost more than just their homes. They lost the few belongings that they had left and now an organization that helps them is running low on supplies. When you imagine those same 700 people that we serve throughout the week and all of a sudden everything they own is gone. And we're replacing that. Matthew's Hope saw a large increase in the number of people needing its services over the last six months. Then the floodwaters hit, wiping out many essentials. We're replacing all their clothing, all their hygiene, their food, their backpacks, their tents, their sleeping bags. Everything you think of, they lost it. Ballou says its bins and shelves were already running low, and now there's even less to give. The ministry is asking for specific donations, including jeans, T-shirts, hoodies, running shoes, The good news is the public has responded. The challenge sometimes is they bring us a lot of stuff we can't use or need. So we try to be very specific about what our needs are. For Ballou, the mission is personal. He says he knows firsthand what it's like to experience homelessness and wants to do more than just provide temporary relief. Having been homeless, even myself, I'm not insensitive to this. I think it's tragic that I've been off the streets for 30 plus years, 40 years. And it hasn't changed. Matthew's Hope provides food, clothing, showers, laundry, and other services with the goal of helping people find a path toward independence. And right now, Ballou says the community's help is more important than ever. We need to look at what's the cause, and that's what Matthew's Hope does. The organization is accepting donations Monday through Friday from 8 to 4 at its Cocoa location if you would like to give. Live in Cocoa, Bailey Bach over, Fox 35 News.