(WMC-TV) - A local mission to feed
millions of people in need had to be shut down today due to the extreme heat. Medics rushed four people to the hospital, after
triple digit temperatures turned the Convoy of Hope into a health hazard.
More than a thousand
Convoy of Hope attendees packed the Mid-South Fairgrounds for prayer and free
services.
"You're coming
through the prayer lines and they're praying for you as you come through,"
stated attendee Rosemary Mayfield.
Volunteer Anthony Wallace
said they were assisting the needy by, "giving them groceries, clothing, health
care, education. All their daily needs"
The searing temperatures
provided by Mother Nature, however, cut the event short.
"We were originally
supposed to be out here until two," said Wallace.
Four people could not
endure the hundred degree heat even before high noon, and had to be rushed to
the hospital. That's when the Health
Department ended the event around 11:30, just an hour and a half after it
began.
People used every tool in
the book to beat the heat. White towels on their heads, coolers packed with
ice, even umbrellas.
"It's hot
outside. 100 degrees. I knew there was going to be a crowd too,"
stated Wendy Walker, who attended the event.
Participants needed no
extra prompting to clear out.
"I'm waiting on my
family members and we're leaving (laugh)," Walker said.
When volunteers got the
word the event had to shut down, they ramped up the giveaways.
"We sacked up over
four thousand bags so we're trying to give them all away so everyone can go,"
stated Wallace.
In the end, thought, the
convoy still completed the mission.
"They want to do it
for the people and they're looking past the heat," said Wallace.
Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.
Large fans try to cool off participants and volunteers alike at the Convoy of Hope event this morning.
