Catastrophic

When they use big words like catastrophic to describe the rain pelting your home you tend to wonder what is going on. The local news seems focused on the worst case scenarios which for once are pretty accurate in Houston. Everyone here seems to know someone who needs to be rescued because their house is flooded.

These are not normal situations with flooding. My parents home flooded last night. They have lived there for close to 25 years. The home was built in the early 70’s. It has never come close to flooding. They are on the highest lot in their neighborhood. They never dreamed the water would invade their home, but it did. It’s ankle deep and reached the top of their bottom step. Everything that is downstairs will be ruined because it will be days before the water recedes enough for us to get in and clean out the house.

We are into day 4 of Hurricane Harvey’s visit to our beloved city, where dark skies and raining weather are quickly becoming the norms. Yet, even in this time of despair, there is still a ray of hope. People are leaving their homes to help neighbors, complete strangers are getting into rescue boats and going into flooded neighborhoods to find people in need. First responders are working 24 hours straight to help those suffering. A full day without sleep. Yet, they do it because we have a need in Houston. There is no question that if you need help there’s someone nearby to lend a hand.

The street water has not invaded our home, so we are one of the fortunate who is dry and has power. Yet, we haven’t left our neighborhood in 4 days. It will be another day or two before the water recedes enough for us to venture out. We might be able to drive through the high water at the front of our subdivision, but why risk it? We will wait for the water to settle a little more.

People assume when the rain stops life will return to normal. It will in some ways, but the ground will still be flooded for days. The flooding may even worsen when the creeks overflow from their banks again due to the streets draining. It takes time for the water to fully recede. Once the water is back in its banks and the streets are dry then the rebuilding can start. Home repairs can take up to a year or even longer when

you consider the number of people who will need help.

Please just pray for us. Pray for people of integrity to come and help those in need. Pray for healing in our homes, because the stress of this storm can leave scars not visible to the human eye. Pray for our children as they start school late and face a year of uncertainty with children and teachers who are rebuilding their homes. Pray for God to be present and known while the city heals. We call on Him when in need, but what about when life is good. We need to remember He is our Father in good and bad times. There is beauty in ashes and God promises that today will pass.