Posted: 12/05/03
 |  |
| Waist-deep floodwaters made it difficult for residents of Gracewood, a Baptist General Convention of Texas ministry in Houston, to leave the property as more water surged in. TBM volunteers (right) responded to help repair water damage. | |
Houston flooding sweeps ministry's
residents into sudden evacuation
HOUSTON–November flood waters threatened the single mothers and their children taking refuge at the Gracewood ministry of Texas Baptist Children's Home & Family Services.
But Texas Baptist Men came to the rescue the next day, as workers began surveying the extensive damage.
With little warning, rising floodwater blanketed the Gracewood campus in Houston.
“The water came up so quickly that we barely had time to react,” said Executive Director Mike Hammack. “We immediately shut off the electricity and gas and began evacuating the families.”
The trip was harrowing. Two vehicles stalled in the swirling water before a third was able to transport the children to safety. Soon, the road became impassable, leaving the remaining staff and mothers to wade through a mile of murky, waist-deep water before reaching high ground.
Although the flood was short-lived, the devastation will take months to repair.
Staff began pulling carpet and other waterlogged items the next day. Reinforcement soon arrived in the form of a Texas Baptist Men disaster relief unit.
Roy Childs led the unit, which included six men from LaGrange and three from Austin. Forty other volunteers from Lakewood Church in Houston joined them.
Fifty volunteers tackled a mountain of soggy labor that day.
The Texas Baptist Men volunteers were not deterred by water. They have seen water damage before.
“We go in and pull sheetrock, vacuum water out, pressure wash and sanitize what's left,” Childs explained. “Each person brings their own set of skills. We've worked together long enough to know each other's strengths.
“It's a ministry, a calling. If you've ever come in after a flood and seen the devastated homes, smelled the stench of stagnant water and mold … our ability to face this can only come from God.”
While repairs are made, Gracewood residents are staying at a local hotel.
For more information about flood relief at Gracewood, contact (713) 988-9757 or [email protected].
We seek to connect God’s story and God’s people around the world. To learn more about God’s story, click here.
Send comments and feedback to Eric Black, our editor. For comments to be published, please specify “letter to the editor.” Maximum length for publication is 300 words.