Catastrophic Flood In Houston
Catastrophic Flood in Houston And Surrounding Areas
Have you seen the pictures and videos of the horrible flooding in Southeast Texas?
My heart breaks for the residents of Houston, Beaumont, Rockport, and surrounding areas along the Texas coastline.
*Photo credit, NOAA/NESTA
As you may already know, Hurricane Harvey, once a category 4, eventually became a tropical storm.
The storm continued to move along at a snail’s pace, all the while dumping record amounts of rain on Houston, Port Aransas, and surrounding areas. You’d think and hope it’s over, but it isn’t.
Our neighbors to the south are picking up the pieces of their lives. Livestock, family pets stranded – the list is endless of those in need.
They all desperately need our prayers, as do the first responders, emergency personnel, and volunteers headed to the flood zones.
Waters Rising Higher
After church last Sunday, my husband and I ate with some friends at a local restaurant here in North Texas. While we were eating, it started pouring buckets and buckets of rain.
The rainfall lasted about an hour, but then it was over and the sun came out. I couldn’t help thinking about how, if we had lived in Houston right now, the flooding would seem like its never going to end.
I saw one estimate from the weather prediction center that, as of Tuesday morning, August 29th, Houston had over 25 inches of rain. This is a crowded metropolis with a huge population. **Four major bayous pass through the city. Not a good combination.
I can’t emphasize enough, it’s not just the residents of Houston taking the brunt of the storm. For instance, ***the Cedar Bayou area had over 48 inches of rain.
There’s an estimate from the weather service that rainfall totals could reach 50 inches in some places.
Fifty inches? Oh my word.
It must be some comfort to the flood victims to see the many volunteers from all over the country pitching in. Texas Governor Greg Abbott was on top of the situation from the very beginning. We are very grateful for his leadership.
God Is There
While some in the mainstream media seek to lay blame, what I’m encouraged by is the epitome of the American spirit on display. People are pitching in, donating money and supplies, and arriving in watercraft to help the stranded.
God is there in the midst of the flooding.
He is there in the spirit of these American heroes who are putting the lives of others above their own.
Houston and surrounding areas, we are praying for you!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NASB.
For those of you who would like to donate to the relief efforts, I would be remiss if I didn’t list two links to reputable online giving opportunities:
God bless.
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*Hurricane Harvey photo courtesy of NOAA/NESTA. Released into public domain. (Uploaded 2017, August). [originally uploaded in NESTA]. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs398/en/
**Wikipedia statistics,courtesy of Wikipedia contributors, “Houston,” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Houston&oldid=797881601 (accessed August 29, 2017).
***Rainfall statistics retrieved from http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/discussions/nfdscc1.html
****Scripture quotation is from New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.
