Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains have been deployed to Hays County, Texas, after devastating flash floods swept hundreds of homes off their foundations, leaving at least 18 people dead in Texas and Oklahoma and at least 11 others missing as of Wednesday morning.
Heavy rain and flooding over Memorial Day weekend damaged large portions of the two states. Some of the worst-hit areas are in Hays County, Texas, just southwest of Austin. Crisis-trained chaplains are already on the ground in San Marcos, a city in the southern corner of Hays County.
In nearby Wimberly, witnesses said they watched rushing waters lift a vacation home off its foundation and carry it downstream where it slammed into a bridge. Many of the people who are missing are believed to be members of two families that were staying in the home over the long holiday weekend.
Jeff Naber, manager of chaplain development and ministry for the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, said Texans who have lost homes or loved ones will be experiencing waves of grief in the coming days.
“They’re suffering tremendous grief, and they may not even know it,” Naber said. “Grief includes things like denial, depression, anxiety, fear, and they may feel like their whole life has been washed away, literally, by this flood.”
Two experienced chaplain coordinators, Carolin and Desi Perez from Oklahoma, were the first to arrive in San Marcos on Memorial Day. They’ll be joined by a larger team of chaplains from across the Rapid Response Team’s nationwide network.
As they fan out across Hays County alongside sister ministry Samaritan’s Purse, the chaplains will focus on offering comfort, compassion and hope to people who are hurting.
“Ministry to the residents will come in different forms,” Naber said. “One way I know from my experience is just being there, having a ministry of presence and letting people know we care enough to come and to be with them during their time of need.
“Also, asking appropriate questions such as, ‘How are you holding up? and, ‘Can you tell me your story?’ And praying with people.”
Hundreds of disaster deployments, including a tornado response that just wrapped up in Van, Texas, have taught the chaplains that a natural disaster is rarely the only crisis a particular family is experiencing.
“We know, based on our studies, that most people are already suffering a crisis in life,” Naber said. “And then an unexpected flood comes that, in some of these cases, removes every tangible item that they own.
“And so we feel so blessed to be in this position to minister to them and to try to help. And at the same time, help people not only connect with the local churches, but if we sense the opportunity, to help them connect with God through the Gospel message.”
