Samaritan's Purse Relief Units in Texas to Help after Hurricane Harvey's Punch

News Staff : Aug 28, 2017
SamaritansPurse.org

"We have pre-positioned Samaritan's Purse disaster relief trucks and materials outside Dallas and will be moving into the hardest hit areas as soon as we are given the all-clear by the state authorities..." -Franklin Graham

[SamaritansPurse.org] Samaritan's Purse disaster relief units are now in Texas as Harvey's deadly fury has moved inland and continues to pummel the state, especially flood-prone Houston. Our teams are ready to go in and help homeowners in Jesus' Name as soon as we are able to access affected communities. (Photo: House surrounded by floodwaters near Port Lavaca, TX/credit: Rick Wilking/Reuters/Newscom/via Samaritan's Purse)

When the Category 4 hurricane came ashore late Friday night, the coastal town of Rockport suffered considerable damage and at least one fatality has been reported there. Now Houston is getting battered, with more than three feet of rain having fallen in the last 24 hours. At least two people have drowned, and more than 2,000 people have been rescued—many of those from rooftops. Much of Houston is under water, and rains could last four to five more days.

To donate to Samaritan's Purse's relief efforts for flood-ravaged Texans, click here.

"My heart continues to be heavy for the good people of South Texas as they begin to deal with the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey—and the flood waters are still rising in many areas," said Franklin Graham, Samaritan's Purse president. "We have pre-positioned Samaritan's Purse disaster relief trucks and materials outside Dallas and will be moving into the hardest hit areas as soon as we are given the all-clear by the state authorities. We hope that over the next few months there will be thousands of volunteers who will want to come and help those whose homes have been damaged by this destructive storm."

Though the remnants of Hurricane Harvey are now classified as a tropical storm, torrential rains and catastrophic flooding remain a terrible threat to residents. The tropical storm could continue pouring water on Texas for days, with up to 50 inches of rain possible in some areas through Wednesday. Tornadoes have been spotted, with more possible. It is estimated that about 11 trillion gallons of rain have inundated the area—and counting.

Harvey is the first Category 4 storm to wallop the U.S. since Hurricane Charley hit Florida in August 2004. The last time the Texas Coastal Bend suffered through a Category 4 hurricane was 1961. Much of southeast Texas is under a flash flood watch until Tuesday. The situation is extremely dangerous and could render some locations uninhabitable for weeks or months. More than 300,000 residents statewide are without power.

"Our first and foremost focus at this particular time is saving lives," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott on "Face the Nation." "We are working on as many water rescues as we possibly can and trying to find ways to get people out of harm's way."

Abbott has activated 3,000 National Guard and State Guard Service members. They will bring 500 vehicles and 14 aircraft, and will open six shelters, he said.

At the request of Governor Abbott, President Donald Trump has signed an emergency disaster declaration for storm-battered parts of Texas. President Trump is expected to travel to Texas on Tuesday.

Two disaster relief units left our base in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, on Friday, and the tractor trailers will stand by in north Texas until weather permits our staff to move into areas of devastation. We're fully prepared to come alongside hurting homeowners in Jesus' Name and will be accompanied by Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains. (Rainfall map via Samaritan's Purse)

We're reaching out to partner churches, from Victoria, where our first disaster relief unit made its first deployment in 1998, all the way to Houston. Once we identify the areas of greatest need, we will secure host church locations and begin deploying volunteers to physically and spiritually minister to homeowners.

Poised to Serve
Luther Harrison, vice president of North American Ministries, said that U.S. disaster relief teams will be ready to serve as soon as the green light is given. "Once the flood waters recede, our staff will identify the greatest areas where our help is needed and send our volunteers in to help these families remove their waterlogged possessions and do it with a Christ-like love," he said.

"When people come home, let's have the Church be there, walking with them, hand in hand, supporting them, showing them Christ's compassion," he added.

Please pray for safety for those in the path of this deadly storm, and pray for our teams who will respond.