America: Pray for Texas

The DHS Faith-Based Perspective on Hurricane Harvey

Jamie Johnson
Aug 25, 2017 · 2 min read

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is making the State of Texas its top priority right now. Hurricane Harvey is expected to hit at 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, bringing a wide swath of devastation in its wake. It will bring an unprecedented level of flooding, equivalent to the entire state’s average annual rainfall all dumped on the Gulf Coast in only 72 hours.

Nearly five million people are in the path of Hurricane Harvey, and hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses will be hit hard, with a significant number of them being completely submerged by up to 12 feet of water. Moreover, flood waters are expected to remain for several weeks, increasing the likelihood of destruction. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already declared a state of emergency for 33 counties. It will be the most damaging storm that Texas has seen in nearly 50 years.

The Department of Homeland Security is supporting and working with first-responders and government authorities on the state, county, and municipal level. Moreover, the DHS Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships is working with countless voluntary organizations that are active in disaster, many of which are faith-based, such as the Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief, Operation Blessing, Convoy of Hope, Feed the Children, and the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team.

We ask the American People to pray for Texas. Many persons and families will never be the same after the next several days and weeks, as their lives will have been turned upside-down by the devastation that Hurricane Harvey now threatens to bring. Knowing that, let us remember that a disaster should be the Church’s finest hour, and the Department of Homeland Security steadfastly supports all the vital work that America’s faith-based community will do to bring help to the helpless and hope to the hopeless.

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