Lakewood will launch hurricane donation drive

Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church is preparing to launch a donation drive and shelter displaced residents of Hurricane Ida as the storm nears the Gulf of Mexico this weekend.

Forecasters with the National Weather Service predict Ida will make landfall in Louisiana late Sunday or early Monday as an “extremely dangerous major hurricane.” Ida’s arrival coincides with the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people across five states, and the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, which devastated the Houston area.

Lakewood will host a two-day collection drive from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, according to a release. The megachurch will be collecting bottled water, cleaning supplies, diapers and baby wipes. Lakewood representatives said they are “prepared to accommodate as many people as we can safely” who are displaced from the storm.

Social media posts showed thousands of residents evacuating Louisiana early Saturday morning, creating bottlenecks along Interstate 10.

Lakewood Church is located at 3700 Southwest Freeway, Circle Drive Timmons Street.