Samaritan's Purse is responding in flood-wracked Kerr County, Texas.
Heavy rains caused flash flooding on Friday, July 4, leaving a trail of extensive damage and claiming more than 90 lives across several Texas counties.
Samaritan’s Purse North American Ministries (NAM) and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Rapid Response Team (BGEA-RRT) have deployed to hard-hit Kerr County, Texas. A Disaster Relief Unit and support equipment departed from our Southwest Ministry Center in north Texas early on Monday. Kerr County, nestled in the Hill Country and home to Camp Mystic, was hit hard, and the majority of reported deaths are from that area. The mayor of Kerrville, Joe Herring, said the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in 45 minutes early on Friday morning.
Several of our staff members have been on the ground in central Texas since Saturday, working with local emergency management and church partners to see how we can best help these deeply hurting communities. Our host church for this response is Kerrville Bible Church at 898 Harper Rd.
Volunteers start Tuesday morning, July 8. Teams will serve as the hands and feet of our Lord, helping homeowners with property cleanup and mud-outs. In all we do, we aim to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with hurting people. Check spvolunteer.org for the latest information and to sign up to assist.
We are also opening a second relief site in San Angelo, Texas, in Tom Green County. Some staff and equipment will be on the ground there to assist on Tuesday. A Disaster Relief Unit—stocked with more tools and equipment–will depart from North Carolina on Tuesday and should arrive in San Angelo on Thursday. Volunteer information will be released soon.
People climb over debris on a bridge atop the Guadalupe River in Ingram, Texas, on July 5.
On Sunday, Franklin Graham posted the following via Facebook: “This morning I joined Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem via phone from Alaska to pray for families gathered in a church in Kerrville, Texas, to await word about their missing children and loved ones. I read Scripture to them and prayed for them, and Secretary Kristi Noem prayed for them as well. We need to continue to surround these devastated families and communities in prayer. Also pray for the hundreds involved in search and rescue efforts with more rain predicted.”
Hundreds of people were plucked from the waters during initial rescue efforts, including scores saved by helicopter. Intense search efforts remain underway. A number of people are still unaccounted for; among them are some from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls retreat in Hunt, Texas, where 6.5 inches of rain fell in a three-hour period. Twenty-seven people from the camp are confirmed dead.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared Sunday, July 6, as a day of prayer for the state in light of the deadly flooding and the continuing search for survivors.
Story originally posted July 5; now updated through July 7.
