United Methodists help Texas victims of 'Charley'
8/28/1998 by United Methodist News Service United Methodists are pitching in to help with the aftermath of flooding in Del Rio, Texas, and throughout the southwestern part of the state.
At least 12 inches of rain from Tropical Storm Charley fell Aug. 23-24 on normally drought-stricken Del Rio. A wall of water caused by the downpour destroyed many homes in the early morning hours. Two-thirds of Del Rio had been flooded before daybreak. When light came Monday, Aug. 24, the process of rescuing people from rooftops and trees began.
Three days later, seven people had been confirmed dead, and 58 were still missing. That same day, Aug. 27, United Methodist officials toured the area on the ground and by air. Those involved included Bishop Ray Owen of the Southwestern Texas Conference; Douglas Cannon, conference information director; the Rev. Frank Estrada, director of mission and administration for the Rio Grande Conference; and a district superintendent from each conference.
"This (situation) is worse than anything I have seen related to flooding because of the loss of life here," Owen said.
Sheets and clothing hung from trees more than 10 feet above the ground as Owen walked streets bordering the creek, Cannon reported, noting that the devastation resembled that of a tornado. Smashed wood, household items and other debris littered roads and lots as rescue crews searched for bodies.
From a Texas Army National Guard helicopter, Owen noted the wide swath of downed trees from Del Rio to the Rio Grande along the creek bed. Cars, trucks, refrigerators and water heaters poked out from the water. Tree limbs and debris coated bridge abutments and other objects that had withstood the current.
Owen said he was impressed to see how rapidly and thoroughly the United Methodist Church was involved in recovery efforts at the local, district and conference levels.
The Rev. Bill Harris, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Del Rio, and Pastor Robert Ortiz of Principe de Paz United Methodist Church, a Rio Grande Conference congregation in Del Rio, quickly began working to help plan long-term recovery efforts, despite damage close to home.
The First Church parsonage had some flooding, but Principe de Paz had just begun a roof repair program. The rain caused further damage to the roof and to the church's interior. Ortiz also reported that some congregation members had lost all their possessions when their homes were swept away in the floods.
By Aug. 27, the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) was processing a request for $10,000 to be used in relief work by both conferences, and United Methodist congregations in Junction, Sonora and Uvalde, Texas, delivered relief supplies to First Church.
The following day, a truckload of power generators and other supplies was en route from the UMCOR warehouse in Louisiana. Richard Evans, Southwest Texas Conference disaster response coordinator, went to Laredo to learn about damage caused there by floodwaters from Del Rio as they moved down the Rio Grande River.
Representatives of the Rio Grande Conference who maintain a liaison with church officials in Mexico were working to learn more about the needs in Ciudad Acuna, just across the border from Del Rio, and other flooded communities nearby.
United Methodists can make donations to UMCOR's Disaster Response No. 982515-0, earmarked "Hurricanes '98." Checks can be placed in church collection plates or mailed directly to UMCOR at 475 Riverside Drive, Room 330, New York, NY 10115.
Volunteers in Mission are being coordinated through the volunteer hotline, (800) 918-3100. Contributions of materials are being coordinated at the UMCOR warehouse, (800) 814-8765.
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*Doug Cannon, editor of the Southwest Texas United Methodist Reporter and of the conference Web site, contributed much of the information for this news story.
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