June 8-9 2001, Tropical Storm Allison dumped over 40 inches of rain on Houston and the surrounding area. The bayous overflowed their banks and much of the city of Houston was flooded. Tom Billings, Director of Missions for Union Baptist Association, learned more than he ever wanted to know about rescue and recovery. At ubahouston.org, Tom shares from his wisdom of experience...
Tom Billings on "What Allison Taught Me About Katrina"
"Tom, the office is flooded," she said. "You won't believe it." Sharon, our office administrator, called me late Saturday night June 9, 2001. Like many folks in Houston I had watched the rain from Tropical Storm Allison fill the streets of Houston. I heard reports of flooding across the city but never dreamed it would affect the UBA office.
I had no idea what to expect when I stopped by the office on the way to preach the next morning, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what I saw. It was devastating. The sights, the smells, the feel as I walked among the soggy debris … those are sensations that will be with me the rest of my life … sensations that come flooding back when I think of all that's happened along the Gulf coast this week.
The experience with Tropical Storm Allison taught me a few important lessons that I think will help me - and maybe you - as we reach out to folks impacted by Hurricane Katrina.
(1) No matter how bad you think it is, it's worse.
Folks fled the storm thinking they would return in a day or two. Now they know it will be weeks, maybe months before they can go home. Some never will. They thought they might lose their homes. Now many realize they've also lost their jobs and their livelihood. It takes a while for these things to sink in. That's good. If it all hit at once, it might be too much. To the folks going through it, it will seem like things just keep getting worse. Understand their grief and provide appropriate support.
(2 )No matter how long you think it will take to recover, it will take longer.
The day after the flood I received calls from folks wanting to help. In a classic example of understatement I said, "We'll be back up and running in a couple of weeks." At one level, we never missed a beat. One day to sort through the rubble and we were back at work helping others. But in reality it took several years to get back to where we were in 2001, and in some ways we are not there yet. These folks will need help for months to come!
(3) Helping needs to be a long term commitment.
There are two primary phases to disaster relief: rescue and recovery. We are in the rescue phase now. Folks need food, water, a place to sleep, health care, money … the basics. It is easy to respond now. But I want to encourage congregational leaders to think of helping as a long-term commitment. Remediation teams and construction teams will be needed for many months to come. We need to do what we can to help now AND we need to anticipate how we can help next year and the year after.
(4) God is gracious and his people are generous.
I am so glad. UBA could not have helped the churches we did or rebuilt our own offices without the very generous financial support of folks all across the nation. Now is the time to be generous. I commend all those who are donating time, food, clothing, toys, and money to help those in need.
(5) Use the established systems in place to help.
When Allison came I had a chance to see first hand how disaster relief agencies work and how they work together. One of the best things we can do is work with them and through them - Texas Baptist Men, Somebody Cares Houston, Red Cross, Salvation Army, and others. This is what they do. Let's help them do it.
For the latest information on what needs to be done and how you can help, visit our website at http://www.ubahouston.org/ and click on "what's new."
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