• Home

printer-friendly email a friend

Progress and Problems Mark Six Months of Ike Recovery

By Eddie Hilliard

Director, Houston-Galveston Disaster Recovery Center

Six months!? No it can’t be! It seems only yesterday that Hurricane Ike, one of the most devastating storms in U.S. history roared onto the upper Texas Gulf coast. I suppose I have a different perspective of the storm as I have been living it since the beginning. While this storm did not affect me physically, I have seen first hand the devastation it has caused to the people of Texas.

The United Methodist Church has long been involved in missions, outreach and disaster  recovery. There are exemplary organizations in Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana and East Texas as well as groups working with the tornado and flood victims in the Midwestern U.S. So, it was no surprise when the Texas Annual Conference immediately began organized relief efforts and had trained employees and volunteers in place within two weeks after the storm.

What is difficult to put into the words is the state of the recovery effort six months later. There are amazing stories of Herculean efforts to rebuild and restore the area. The elderly lady who mucked

out her own house and had the sheetrock and roofing materials delivered and ready for volunteers to help her while she comforted her neighbors.

Moody Memorial First UMC opened their doors to congregations of other denominations who have lost their physical home but not their spiritual center. These congregations now share a sanctuary and doctrines seem less important than faith.

Have you heard about Galveston County Restore and Rebuild (GCRR) or the Greater Houston Restore and Rebuild Committee? These two and others elsewhere are faith based groups that have come together regardless of race, creed, color or religion and collaborated to help the victims of Ike. They don’t discuss their differences; they ask where they can find another dollar or another volunteer to aid those in need. Can you imagine a group representing 25 different faith stories at the same table with one goal?

On the other hand, six months later there are still people whose homes have not been cleaned out or, worse, they have no home. Many lost everything but the clothes on their back. There are 4,000 damaged, uninsured homes on Galveston Island that are owned by people without the

resources to repair them. I’m talking about the ones without a voice. Those with very little income, the elderly, the disabled, the single parent are people who so desperately need help, but often don’t even know that help is available.

We’ve made great progress. I know of nearly 100 homes that have been repaired since the storm. That means 100 families can finally begin to rebuild their lives and put this dark period behind them – 100 families who can begin to live again. This is the joy that gets overlooked.

But, overlooking the joy is easy when you know of the people with no place to turn.

There were over 100,000 homes damaged in Houston alone. There are almost 1 million FEMA claims as a result of this storm. We still have great needs to meet. Needs that have not lessened as the rest of the country has gone on with life.

The week after the storm, Ike was headline news. But, with the announcement of a female vice presidential candidate and the first hints of the economic crisis, we quickly became old news.

We’ve had to fight for time in the media to get the word out about the needs here. And the needs

seem to grow rather than lessen.

Six months?! The lows and the rewards have been many. We have accomplished much. We’ve

raised funds; we’ve seen volunteers pour into our area; we’ve seen groups come together with one purpose. But, we still encounter the deaf couple who we only discovered two weeks ago. They had no idea where to turn for help.

The elderly lady living with a friend because she has no where to go. The couple who barely got by on social security before the storm, and now each day is a struggle. The children – homeless – living with their parents in a van. Please join us as we kick off our next six months. Lift your heart in prayer for those in need. Pray that we may find the resources to answer the call here. And if you are able, join us financially and physically as we look to a brighter future.

Donate or Volunteer