DALLAS—A matter of hours set Dallas-Fort Worth region homeowners back years as more than 14 inches of rain drenched low-lying areas. Texas Baptist Men disaster relief volunteers are helping to clear the way back.
A once-in-every-1,000-years-rain turned homes along creeks and rivers into swamps, ruining sheetrock, furniture, flooring and more. AccuWeather estimates the storms caused between $4.5 and $6 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest storms in Texas history.
Shortly after the storm, the TBM Collin County flood recovery team was removing all that was damaged in a home in southeast Dallas.
“There was about three feet of water in here,” team leader Art Brandenburg said. “They’ve lost nearly everything.”
The home is the first of a series of homes TBM volunteers will clean out after the storms. When the teams are finished working at a location, the home will be dry and disinfected so homeowners can rebuild their property—and their lives.
“Floods like this put people in positions they can’t dig out of on their own,” said David Wells, TBM disaster relief director. “By working alongside homeowners, TBM teams accelerate the recovery process and save people thousands of dollars. Together, we help people see better days are ahead.”
In many ways, the Collin County flood recovery team exemplifies the year for TBM disaster relief. Earlier this month, many of these same volunteers were cleaning out flooded homes in Jackson, Ky., after another once-in-1,000-year rain that killed more than 35 people.
TBM disaster relief teams responded to more disasters in the first six months of 2022 than all of last year. Volunteers have responded to seven tornados, five wildfires, two floods, the school shooting in Uvalde and the refugee crisis created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“God calls his people to minister to the hurting,” Wells said. “That call has led TBM volunteers around the world and to our own backyard.
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“No matter where we’re serving, we’re doing so with the same goal: to share the love of God with people living through their most difficult days.”
To support TBM disaster relief ministries financially, send a check designated for disaster relief to Texas Baptist Men, 5351 Catron Dr., Dallas, TX 75227 or click here to give online.
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