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Hurricane Harvey blazed ashore on Friday night, then paused to dump three days’ of rain on South Texas. Find out how you can help.

Texas National Guard soldiers arrive in Houston, Texas to aid citizens in heavily flooded areas from the storms of Hurricane Harvey. (Photo by Texas National Guard, Lt. Zachary West, 100th MPAD, used under CCBY.
 
Several days in, Hurricane Harvey continues to be a multifaceted disaster for the people of South Texas. The category four hurricane ravaged the coast on Friday night and has spent three days dumping unprecedented amounts of rain on South Texas. Weather experts predict that Houston hasn’t seen the worst of the storm, not by a long shot. They expect rainfall to double with another 25 inches of rain.

“Flooding is already widespread and thousands of people are stranded in flooded houses. Many more have already been displaced,” says Scott Engelsman, the RCA’s coordinator for disaster response. “It is truly a disaster situation of epic proportions.”

RCA Global Mission is monitoring the situation and is in contact with partners and churches in the area to determine the best ways that to help the people most impacted by storm.

An initial disbursement of $20,000 is designated for immediate needs. “We have already been able to provide an initial financial gift to Christ the Redeemer Community Church, an RCA church plant in Houston, to help provide food and shelter for those in urgent need in their neighborhood,” Engelsman says. “We’re also helping Carismah Church in Katy, Texas, another church plant, to provide food, water, and shelter to displaced families nearby.”

To assess and address long-term rebuilding needs, RCA Global Mission will work with World Renew Disaster Response Services.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Pray for people who were in the direct path of the storm on Friday night as well as those who are still in the midst of the flooding and continued rain. Pray for people who are helpless and whose lives seem out of control at the moment. Pray for safety for people who are trapped, and for the people who are working tirelessly to get them to safety.

Please also pray for our RCA church plants, Christ the Redeemer Community Church in Houston and Carismah Church in Katy, Texas, as they reach out to their neighbors and live and love like Jesus at a time when his love is more needed than ever.

Give financially to help the RCA respond to the hurricane. Initial estimates suggest that the cost of recovery and rebuilding after Hurricane Harvey will be more than $40 billion. Large portions of the impacted areas are economically struggling areas where insurance coverage will be limited. Please consider giving a gift to help the RCA reach those in the greatest need. 

Go and help when the time comes. Volunteers will be needed for years to come to help people rebuild their homes and lives. If you would like to hear about volunteer opportunities as they open up, or if your congregation is trained in rapid response, please contact the RCA Volunteer Office, volunteer@rca.org.

If you have any questions about how you or your congregation can help please contact the RCA’s disaster response coordinator, Scott Engelsman, at sengelsman@rca.org.