Local non-profit deploys to Florida following Hurricane Isaias

RICHMOND, Va. — Hurricane Isaias came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane near Destin, Florida, on Friday, devastating communities in its path and claiming at least four lives as of Sunday afternoon.

The storm knocked out power for nearly 900,000 customers within hours of landfall. As of Sunday, 300,000 remained without power as Florida Power and Light worked to restore electricity.

Watch: 2 dead as Hurricane Isaias weakens over the South

Mercy Chefs traveled from Richmond to the Florida Panhandle in response, providing 'hope on a plate' to families impacted by the storm — serving 1,500 meals in just three hours Saturday night.

"We woke up to a beautiful day in Florida today," said Gary LeBlanc, founder of Mercy Chefs.

But what brought LeBlanc and his team from Richmond to the Florida Panhandle was a different sight.

"Trees are down. Powerlines are down. Homes have roof damage. A lot of folks have a lot of clean up to do here over the next few weeks," LeBlanc said.

The hurricane caused widespread damage across Florida, leaving debris scattered throughout communities.

"My big beautiful palm tree was just completely bent over. All around my yard. All around the side here massive branches from these crazy pine trees were just everywhere. I was standing in my driveway just thinking how am I going to get all this mess cleaned up," a Florida resident said.

"Where we are in this county just above Pensacola proper, still Pensacola, but it's completely without power. Everybody around us is without power. We had to drive last night 35 minutes from where we are to find a gas station with power to refuel some of the vehicles," LeBlanc said.

Mercy Chefs anticipates staying at least a week or more in Florida.

"But we will stay as long as there is a need. Hurricane Michael we stayed for two and a half years after the storm. We were in western North Carolina for a year after the flooding there so our commitment to community very often goes on long after the storm," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc said a donation today is a meal for tomorrow. A donation link is available here.

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