The relief effort following Hurricane Harvey will last for months, Texas Disaster Relief leaders are advising the teams preparing to come. “We’re telling folks realistically until Thanksgiving. That’s a conservative estimate,” said Gordon Knight, head of chaplains for the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention. And that’s just for the necessities such as food service and child care. Beyond that, mud-out and clean-up could continue for months, or even years, as it did after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and Superstorm Sandy on the New Jersey coast. With more than a fourth of Texas affected, this is expected to be the longest and most costly recovery effort in U.S. history.
Even as the rains from Harvey continued to inundate the Texas Gulf Coast, Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief teams (IBDR) were packing to travel to the flooded region around Houston. Two teams of child care workers deployed to Dallas on Aug. 30. They were stationed at the Dallas Convention Center, to attend to children while their parents stood in lines to meet with insurance companies and government agencies.
“People need help with the basics, just to get started putting their lives back together,” said Dwayne Doyle, state Disaster Relief director for IBSA.
The mobile kitchen from Living Faith Baptist Church in Sherman and food service crews were called out Sept. 6, Doyle said. The 27- person team is made up of members from around the state. The team can prepare and serve up to 30,000 meals a day.
On Sept. 9, a flood recovery team from the Springfield area will leave for Houston. Two more teams from the southern part of the state are scheduled to follow. Beyond that, a very long line of chainsaw teams and mud-out volunteers. And, of course, chaplains with every team.
Illinois has 1,600 volunteers and 37 teams across the state. But more people are expected to offer assistance for the Texas relief effort. Training is required for all Disaster Relief volunteers. IBDR is offering training in several mini-sessions in order to mobilize more teams in the central and the metro east areas of the state. Doyle expects to organize additional sessions in southern Illinois and Chicagoland later in September. Get dates and locations at IBSA.org/DR.
For teams from Lake County planning to deploy soon, it’s payment on a debt of gratitude. Texas Baptist Men sent a string of crews to assist home owners north of Chicago after floods in the spring. They have three projects to finish there before heading to Houston.
“It’s hard work, but the work isn’t the important part,” DR chaplain Ric Worshill told a Chicago newspaper. “The important part is the love that we bring to people in their time of need. That’s what it’s all about.” Worshill is organizing the relief response from Lake County.
“Thank goodness we have sister conventions that respond,” Knight said of the teams coming to the aid of Texas.
Donations of money are most needed at this time. Doyle said the cost for transporting a mobile kitchen or shower unit from Illinois to Texas is $1,000. And transporting a crew of volunteers costs $250. Visit IBSA.org/DR to give. All gifts are tax deductible and all of the offering goes to Disaster Relief.
Visit the same web page to learn more about upcoming training sessions for new DR volunteers. Or contact DwayneDoyle@ibsa.org.
– IB staff, with additional reporting by Baptist Press.