August 31 – “Disaster Driving”

An army of Galveston fire fighters hit the ground running yesterday.  First word was that 50 of our guys had homes affected in some way by the floods.  Of those, 25 appear to have lost everything.  As soon as waters subsided enough, a veritable army of off-duty fire fighters leapt into action.  They started methodically cleaning out each other’s homes.  One at a time.  Soggy carpet by damp sheetrock.  Work will continue until everyone who has a need has been tended to.  My plan is to connect today with the fire fighter in charge of the project to see what kids of relief needs they are running into.

I had to do some Disaster Driving yesterday.  As I headed to a meeting of Galveston pastors, I encountered some of the typical, frustrating results of intermittent power outages.  Flashing red lights.  Lights stuck on red that never changed.  Slow and go travelers who were hoping to see some damage.  Bottom line?  Every intersection becomes a four-way stop.  Actually drive friendly. 

The meeting with the local pastors was a really good one.  There were sixteen different churches represented, gathering for prayer and to determine an effective response to the inevitable needs in the county.  The prayer time lasted for a good fifteen or twenty minutes.  It’s always hard to judge how long a prayer meeting goes when a prayer meeting is “really going.”  After the prayer time we began what amounted to early stage recovery planning.  One guy had been involved in Louisiana with post-recovery after Hurricane Katrina and Ike.  Another guy was already involved on the political side of things with state and local officials.  First Baptist Church’s pastor was sharing with the group about their hosting donation drop off when he received a text that the center was swamped and needed volunteers.  Immediately.  I sent a quick text myself, and about ten Seasiders went to help.  Nice job.  I was able to listen in on a call one of the pastors took from the Southern Baptist missions arm.  He was trying to convince them to use a site here in Galveston to stage operations for the rest of the county.  It is just so hard for people who are not here to fathom the scope of damage involved.  The voice on the phone asked us to draw up a map of the county and mark the areas involved.  We chuckled at that one.  The Galveston pastor responded, “Picture the coast of Texas from Corpus Christi to Orange.  Color all of that in … except for Galveston Island.  There’s your map.”

Speaking of donations, the only clothes needed are brand new packages of socks and underwear.  Other helpful things (beyond basic toiletries, baby items, feminine hygiene products, non-perishable foods, and water) would be box fans, bleach, dehumidifiers, extension cords, and a product called “Shockwave” that kills mold.  Probably at this point the most effective donation would be money.  Many of the families have no insurance, so they will have to replace everything.  They also still have to pay their bills and buy food.  Some of the displaced people were sent all the way to Dallas, so they might need assistance getting back to the area to get into their homes.  If anyone wants to do a long distance money donation, you can do it through Seaside Church.  We will see that whatever comes in earmarked “Hurricane relief” gets to families that need it. 

Speaking of families that need it, here’s an update on the Boyer’s.  They were able to make back to their house yesterday.  Don’s new job (That he hasn’t even officially started at yet) provided a truck for his use and a week to get back on his feet.  Their car that they had to leave in a Kroger parking lot started right up, so they now also have that transportation.  As soon as he gets together all the keys Don will check out the cars that were actually at his house when the flood hit.  Looks like their home had about two feet of water in it.  They managed to get all the carpet and linoleum torn out.  Shout out to Seasider Cory Anderson who drove up to offer his assistance. 

Chris got a text from a friend of ours in Arlington.  He had run into someone who had been displaced to their area and was wondering about his apartment.  We drove by there, and all looked well.  I also texted a fire fighter who lives in the next building over.  He told me for the most part it was OK.  Except for a minor roof leak that resulted in a small collapse into his bedroom.  “Nothing serious though.”  I love those guys. 

Last night we fried up a load of fish for the crew that had been working all day.  April even took some for Nathan when she stopped by to pick up Cailyn.  The fish was really good, and all seemed to appreciate it.  Fish tacos for lunch today …

Here’s where things begin to get antsy.  Remember 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

Father, thank you for the people so quickly involved in recovery efforts.  Keep them all healthy and safe as they get on with the manual labor side of the coin while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in their family and work.  Amen.