Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts
As we have watched the news roll in this last week with the images and statistics from Hurricane Harvey, our hearts have been heavy and burdened with the magnitude of loss and devastation facing the people and the cities in Harvey’s path. Though we do not yet know the extent of the damage, the area of Texas that's currently underwater is comparable to the size of Lake Michigan and officials are estimating that more than 30,000 people could be forced from their homes, with more than 725,000 people currently under mandatory evacuation orders and more than a million facing voluntary evacuation orders. Thousands more are also being evacuated in Louisiana. Preliminary FEMA estimates indicate as many as 67,000 homes in Texas may be damaged. Water rescues are still occurring and numerous hospitals and nursing facilities are evacuating patients and residents.
Transportation, travel and housing are expected to see significant challenges for an extended period of time. Schools and airports are closed and hundreds of thousands of people are still without power. Communications systems are out, including landline, cellular, internet, and mass media platforms. It is a dire situation indeed.
We have received several inquiries about how you can help support the relief and restoration efforts from the damage left by this powerful storm. Through the council of Jim Birchfield, Lead Pastor of First Presbyterian Church Houston (a fellow ECO church and former colleague of Pastor Dave), we have decided to channel our relief efforts through the Red Cross as they are currently on the ground providing excellent and expansive relief efforts & are well poised to continue to do so with our support.
Already, the Red Cross is reported to have over 1,000 volunteers on the ground (with more on the way!) and has served over 30,000 meals and provided shelter for more than 17,000 people in the region. More than 80 tractor-trailer loads of cots, blankets, ready-to-eat meals, comfort kits, kitchen supplies and cleaning supplies are now on the ground in Texas thanks to their efforts and about 73,000 ready-to-eat meals are currently on the ground with an additional 43,000 en route.
The first priority is keeping people safe while providing shelter, food and a shoulder to lean on. If you’d like to help support these efforts, please click on the link below to make a donation.
// SUPPORT RELIEF EFFORTS
Also, please join us in praying for the people who are on the ground helping, and for those who are suffering loss and difficulty in the wake of the storm.