Baker Marks 10 Years Since 2016 Flood With Prayer Breakfast Focused on Recovery, Leadership

Excerpt: The 2026 Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast brought Baker leaders together Friday to assess a decade of recovery following the historic 2016 flood and emphasize continued cooperation on the city’s future.

BAKER, La. — Baker officials used the 10th anniversary of the 2016 flood Friday to highlight the city’s recovery, ongoing development, and the importance of cooperation among government, churches, schools, and residents.

The annual Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast was held at the Baker Municipal Center Auditorium from 7 to 10 a.m., according to the city.

The program included prayers for the city, elected officials, and Baker schools, along with a presentation examining the August 2016 flood and the changes that followed.

For city leaders, the anniversary provided an opportunity to measure Baker’s progress since floodwaters damaged homes, businesses, schools, and neighborhoods a decade ago.

A video presentation, “Rising Together, Rebuilding Our Community After the Flood,” documented the disaster and subsequent rebuilding efforts. The presentation cited rebuilt schools, the Baseball Field, new businesses and investment, and Sunshine Gardens, identified as Baker’s first new residential development in more than 30 years.

The presentation’s central message was that the flood remains part of Baker’s history but does not define the city’s future.

Recovery and Development

Mayor Darnell Waites connected the city’s recovery to a broader emphasis on unity.

Waites recalled the flood’s impact on Baker and described how residents and community leaders began working together after the water receded. He said the experience changed his understanding of Jeremiah 29:11, a biblical passage he had been reflecting on before the flood.

“When the waters went down, we came together, formed a plan, and worked together,” Waites said.

That cooperation eventually included the city’s faith community.

Waites described the creation of a “canopy of prayer,” an effort involving pastors, ministers, and elders who walked through Baker praying for the city and its residents.

The mayor said the city subsequently faced another major challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic but continued moving forward.

“We kept praying together,” Waites said. “We kept unifying.”

The city’s focus on development has continued beyond the flood recovery. Baker’s 2026 calendar includes economic development among its standing civic priorities, while the city has also pursued infrastructure and public-safety investments.

Earlier this year, the city announced an $863,000 grant for construction of a satellite fire station on Baker’s west side.

Prayers for City Government and Schools

Friday’s program included separate prayers addressing several areas of municipal life.

A prayer for Baker asked for peace in neighborhoods and schools, improved physical well-being for residents, financial stability for families and businesses, and continued spiritual strength for the community.

Another prayer focused on elected officials, asking for wisdom, integrity, and unity as they make decisions affecting the city.

The city’s schools also received specific attention. Prayers were offered for school board members, administrators, teachers, students, and others responsible for educating and protecting children.

The prayer breakfast itself is an established part of Baker’s civic structure. City Council minutes list the Prayer Breakfast as one of the city’s special committees, alongside economic development, strategic planning, the Buffalo Festival, and other community initiatives.

Looking Ahead

Waites urged residents not to focus exclusively on what Baker still needs but to recognize the progress made during the past decade.

He pointed to the city’s recovery from the flood and subsequent challenges as evidence of what cooperation can accomplish.

“Every time we reach a mountain, we overcome that mountain,” Waites said.

He also challenged residents to remain involved in the city’s future.

“If we come together,” he said, “we can do more together.”

For Baker, the 10th flood anniversary therefore became less about revisiting the disaster and more about evaluating what happened after it, rebuilding schools and facilities, attracting development, strengthening community partnerships, and continuing to address the city’s infrastructure and public-safety needs.

The flood changed Baker in 2016.

Friday’s prayer breakfast made clear that city leaders believe the response to that disaster still shapes Baker’s direction a decade later.

Written By: Ivory D. Payne