From floods to fires, disaster victims spell relief “T-B-M”

Texas Baptist Men chainsaw crews cut down charred trees and remove fire-damaged debris from the property of homeowners in Black Forest, Colo.

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From floods along the Rio Grande to wildfires in the Colorado Rockies, Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers responded to needs with shovels, showers, chainsaws and New Testaments.

Forty TBM disaster relief volunteers—joined by an almost-equal number of other Southern Baptist disaster relief workers—completed more than 120 mud-out jobs in Eagle Pass after more than 16 inches of rain in 36 hours caused extensive flooding.

tbm eaglepass400Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers remove water-damaged drywall from homes in Eagle Pass.Crews from Sabine Neches Baptist Area and Second Baptist Church La Grange removed furniture and damaged drywall from flooded homes, and power-washed, sanitized and disinfected floors. Even after their efforts, about 300 mud-out requests remained, and TBM continued enlisting additional volunteers to begin work July 8.

Second Baptist Church in La Grange also made available its shower and laundry trailer, and a crew from Denton Baptist Association distributed cardboard boxes to residents, enabling them to collect keepsakes and personal items they recovered from their damaged homes. A volunteer construction crew completed 15 roofing jobs.

The durable medical equipment unit from Northeast Baptist Church in San Antonio offered canes, walkers and wheelchairs to residents with mobility issues.

Because many of the flooded homes belonged to Spanish-speaking families, most of the TBM volunteers struggled to communicate with them. However, the residents readily received the Spanish-language New Testaments the disaster workers distributed in the community, and chaplains reported 69 professions of faith in Jesus.

tbm piedras400Volunteers in Piedras Negras serve meals with funds made available by Texas Baptist Men and the Baptist General Convention of Texas.Across the Rio Grande in Piedras Negras, TBM and the Baptist General Convention of Texas provided funds for food, cleaning supplies and equipment for families and churches affected by floods.

Meanwhile, TBM chainsaw crews from Kauf-Van Baptist Association cleared trees from the property of residents in Black Forest, Colo., near Colorado Springs. First Baptist Church in Black Forest provided lodging for the volunteers. Wildfires around the community destroyed more than 500 homes.

A couple of weeks earlier, other TBM chainsaw crews worked in Houston. The volunteers removed dead or drought-damaged trees from two predominantly African-American cemeteries. The historic cemeteries, dating from 1840, had become overgrown with brush and invasive trees.


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