Showing posts with label Houston. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

It's Time to Answer Your James 5:16 Calling After Harvey's Devastation - JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Residents wade through floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey in Beaumont Place, Houston, Texas, U.S., on Aug. 28, 2017. (REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman)

It's Time to Answer Your James 5:16 Calling After Harvey's Devastation

8/29/2017 JESSILYN JUSTICE CHARISMA NEWS

Join us on our podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.

As Texas sinks and dams threaten to break under the weight of Harvey's flood damage, pastors and ministry leaders are begging for your prayers.

Prayer for rescuers and the rescued, for homes to deflood quickly and residents to be able to resume their lives comes to mind, but here are some specific requests.

"My wife and daughter just pulled out to try to get to Dallas. Pray for traveling grace and mercy for them." —Doug Stringer, president of Somebody Cares
"One of our staff members, Alison Gentry, and her family are waiting for waiting for evacuation." —Jodie Chiricosta, vice president of Somebody Cares
"We also have another staff member trying to get back to Houston from Illinois where he was on a short break before the flooding. He is having a hard time getting back. We need him in Houston to help." —Jodie Chiricosta, Somebody Cares
"During this storm, pray for endurance, and in the aftermath, pray that our faith is strengthened, because it's up to Christians to answer these hard questions." —Don Iloff, Lakewood Church senior communications director
"It's 1:00 a.m. and we just got 95 more stranded folks. Please pray church. They are so tired and in despair." —Robert Burdett, Powerhouse Church
"We are in need of two things primarily. 1. Finances 2. Food. The church is now a rescue center and eventually will become a shelter as all high schools are at capacity. The real work is about to begin, rebuilding. Thanks for prayers." —GK Watkins, Powerhouse Church
"Tuesday morning and Kingwood is flooding. Our neighborhood, Mills Branch, is still safe. Numerous friends in other Kingwood neighborhoods have water in their homes. Parts of Town Center is Flooded. Kingwood High School has water in it. Rescue helicopters flying overhead. We're still safe but can't get out of Kingwood. KSBJ is streaming, but both transmitter sites are under water so not broadcasting on the main 89.3 FM signal. All roads into Humble are flooded. That includes the main Highway 59. We hear that for the first time that the main bridge over 59 has been topped. It's painful to have to be away from the radio station. The broadcaster in me wants to be there, but you just can't get ANYWHERE safely. Thank you all for your prayers. It is sure appreciated for all of us. We'll get through this. It's still raining, but it's lightening up." —Sterling Tarrant, Production Director at KSBJ, Houston, TX
"Please pray for endurance and grace. The devastation is heart breaking, we need grace to minister to every need." —Brandon Sanders, Powerhouse Church
"I pray for the deaf communities of Texas to have easy access to communicate with the hearing world. Keep their frustrations to the minimum, and ask God to meet the needs of the flood victims and the volunteers." —Douglas Sturgis, submitted

Have a Harvey-related prayer request? Email jessilyn.justice@charismamedia.com with your request, your name and your location and we will pray over it.

Jessilyn Justice is the director of online news for Charisma. Born and raised in a pastor's family in Alabama, she attended Lee University and the Washington Journalism Center. She's passionate about sharing God's goodness through storytelling. Tell her what you think of this story on Twitter @jessilynjustice.

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Unprecedented Disaster: Hurricane Harvey Has Shattered The Rainfall Record For The Continental United States - Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Unprecedented Disaster: Hurricane Harvey Has Shattered The Rainfall Record For The Continental United States

Posted: 29 Aug 2017 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG

Never before have we seen a storm dump more than 50 inches of rain on a single location in the continental United States. The previous record for rainfall in the continental United States occurred when Tropical Storm Amelia dumped 48 inches of rain on Medina, Texas in 1978. But now one spot in southeast Texas has already received 52 inches of rain, and the rain continues to fall. And overall, 14 different spots in the Houston area have already gotten more than 40 inches of rain. Authorities are telling us that this will easily be the most costly disaster in all of U.S. history, but nobody will be able to truly assess the total damage that has been done until the rain finally stops.

Sadly, meteorologists say that some parts of Texas will continue to get more rain all the way through Thursday. By that time, some areas may receive an additional 20 inches of rain on top of what they already have…

Wide swaths of southeast Texas have been devastated by Tropical Storm Harvey, with some areas drowning in nearly 40 inches of water — and Lone Star State residents are bracing for another beating with up to 20 more inches of rain.

If you have seen video of the flooding that is taking place in Houston, it is hard to imagine that things could get much worse. As I mentioned above, many areas already have more than 40 inches of rain, and one spot in southeast Texas has actually gotten 52 inches of rain…

A preliminary report from a rain gauge on the Cedar Bayou, east of Highlands, Texas, reported 51.88 inches of rain as of 3 p.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Earlier in the day, a weather station southeast of Houston at Mary’s Creek at Winding Road, reported 49.32 inches of rain, the weather service said.

Both reports break the previous continental U.S. record of 48 inches set in 1978 in Medina, Texas, by Tropical Storm Amelia.

In addition to all of the rainfall, a major problem is the fact that river levels are rising to extremely dangerous levels. One levee has already been breached, and water has gone over the top of the 108 foot spillway for the Addicks Reservoir for the first time in history…

An already-swollen reservoir west of downtown Houston overtopped its spillway Tuesday, sending an “uncontrolled release” of Harvey’s floodwaters into nearby neighborhoods, as a separate levee breach south of the city prompted an urgent warning for residents to leave immediately.

Floodwaters in the the Addicks Reservoir, located about 19 miles west of downtown, went over the top of the 108-foot spillway for the first time in history, threatening immediate surrounding subdivisions.

Unfortunately, disasters such as this tend to bring out the worst in people. As I mentioned yesterday, police have been busy rounding up looters, and some businesses have been caught engaging in extreme price gouging…

Over the weekend, more than 500 complaints of price gouging were lodged with the Texas attorney general’s office, according to CNBC—including $99 cases of bottled water, gas at $10 a gallon and hotels tripled or quadrupled in price.

I suppose that it is just human nature to do that, but to me that is utterly shameful.

It is during times of testing that our character is truly revealed. So many down in Houston have been absolutely incredible throughout this entire crisis, while others have shown all of us who they really and truly are.

Our fourth largest city is in the process of literally being destroyed, and I am so thankful for everyone that is working to rescue, house and feed those that are in desperate need. Sadly, there are others that are not stepping up to the plate, and they are being greatly criticized for it.

According to former FEMA Director Michael Brown, the economic damage being done by this storm will ultimately make it “the most expensive natural disaster in American history”…

“There are several factors that make it worse than Katrina. For one, there is the scope of the flooding. Harris County and the surrounding areas are so saturated,” Brown told the Houston Chronicle.

“Also, the amount of damages will continue to grow. There will be mold and structural damages adding up.” Brown said when Tropical Storm Harvey finally goes away, it will leave an incredible bill for taxpayers to pick up.

“This will be unfathomably expensive for both the private sector and taxpayers,” Brown said. “This will be easily the most expensive natural disaster in American history.”

Please pray for southeast Texas and for all of the people that have had their lives turned completely upside down by this storm. We have never seen anything like this before in the history of our country, and this crisis is still far from over.

Michael Snyder is a Republican candidate for Congress in Idaho’s First Congressional District, and you can learn how you can get involved in the campaign on his official website. His new book entitled “Living A Life That Really Matters” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com.

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Here is the Complete Story Behind the Attacks on Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church- CBN News - Billy Hallowell, Faithwire

Here is the Complete Story Behind the Attacks on Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church

08-29-2017

CBN News - Billy Hallowell, Faithwire

As Pastor Joel Osteen and his church face mounting criticism for not immediately hosting Houstonians fleeing their homes in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, representatives are speaking out to provide additional background and context.

READ: ‘Thank God!’: TV Reporter Saves Trapped Truck Driver’s Life on Live TV Amid Deadly Scenario

Don Iloff, a spokesperson for Lakewood Church, told Faithwire late on Monday night that the house of worship has been in touch with city and county officials in recent days and has been planning outreach efforts.

But considering that the church’s building — inside what was once the Compaq Center sports arena — is prone to flooding, Iloff said that Lakewood chose to instead focus its energies on the ways in which the church could serve as a food and resource distribution center, among other outreach efforts.

And considering that Houston officials had set up shelters throughout the city — including a massive location at the George R. Brown Convention Center just five miles from Lakewood — Iloff said that the church had planned to host people in the event that those locations were full or at capacity.

“We had warning with this storm, so they set up shelters around the city … that convention center is 5 or 6 times bigger [than Lakewood],” he told Faithwire. “They set that up with everything from the cots, food, triage.”

A photo of the flooding that was said to be inside and outside of Lakewood Church (Lakewood Church)

Iloff also noted that, while Lakewood was more than willing to make-do and house people, unlike the convention center, Lakewood has “no showers” and no kitchen, making the church more of an emergency shelter than anything else. Initially, the church waited to hear from city officials and planned to respond if needed.

Still, Iloff continuously affirmed that the bigger issue that impacted the decision to not immediately serve as a shelter centered on the building’s history of flooding.

“The fact is that we knew that we could not put anyone on the bottom floor,” he said, noting that the first floor is where the most space exists for housing flood victims. “We were very concerned about putting anyone on that bottom floor given the history.”

And though there has been much debate on social media about whether Lakewood experienced any flooding during Hurricane Harvey, photos provided by the church — as well as Iloff’s own account — point to water creeping up the floodgates on the lower level.

“They were within a foot of cresting the floodgates … that flootgate’s 10 feet tall,” Iloff said. “It was within a foot of coming over that floodgate.”

With more rain slated to come down in Houston over this past weekend, Iloff said Lakewood didn’t want to endanger people, especially if there was enough room in the shelter system.

But he reaffirmed that church leaders did ask government officials to let them know if and when the time came for a greater need for shelter for victims impacted by the storm.

A photo of the flooding that was said to be inside Lakewood Church (Lakewood Church)

No such request had reportedly been made before controversy surrounding Osteen and the church broke out on social media and quickly went viral.

“We were on the phone with the city … they said the shelters are fine at the moment,” he said. “We basically said we can put [a few hundred] people on the second level [and the] city said, ‘We’ll get back with you.’ We are prepared to house those people.”

Controversy initially broke out after a photo was shared on Twitter that appeared to show that the church wasn’t extensively flooded, though it is unclear when that image was taken. On Sunday, Lakewood took to its Facebook page to explain that the church wouldn’t be open for services and offered up a list of available shelters.

“Dear Houstonians! Lakewood Church is inaccessible due to severe flooding!” the message read. “We want to help make sure you are safe. Please see the list below for safe shelters around our city, and please share this with those in need!”

Iloff said that the one detail being overlooked in the current narrative is that Lakewood has a “history of sheltering people,” pointing back to Tropical Storm Allison, which devastated the region back in 2001. The church, which was still in its former location and hadn’t yet moved to the arena, housed 3,000 people and became the largest shelter in the city.

It should be noted that, at the time, the Compaq Center (where Lakewood now resides) did cancel sports events in the wake of the tropical storm, with extensive flooding being reported by the Lawrence Journal-World.

So, flooding fears on the part of Osteen’s team weren’t exactly unfounded:

When Jerry McDonald arrived at the arena that’s home of the Houston Comets and the Houston Rockets, he was stunned.

Flood waters from torrential rains brought by Tropical Storm Allison had inundated the Compaq Center, where McDonald is general manager.

“The court was floating in water four feet off the ground,” McDonald said.

As for the current debate over Lakewood’s response, numerous news reports noted that some Lakewood staff members also needed to be rescued amid the chaotic flood scene.

And Iloff added another detail that he felt was important to emphasize: “The [church] doors have never been locked.”

In fact, while Iloff believes the media narrative painted a picture in which scores of people were coming to the church and being turned away, he said that, until around 2 p.m. on Monday, access to the church was difficult due to flooding and that only three people had come to the church doors thus far; those people were assisted, he said.

Lakewood Church is now working with Samaritan’s Purse and has launched a fund to raise money that will strictly be used for hurricane relief, Iloff said.

The church also plans to coordinate distribution outreaches, offering baby formula, adult diapers and other supplies to members of the public.

Iloff, who said the church was already coordinating with Samaritan’s Purse before debate broke out over the initial decision not to house people, said that he believes Lakewood Church is perfectly situated to help people in the community pick up the pieces of their life after the waters recede — and that this was always the plan.

“Where we really focus our efforts … is on the aftermath of this thing,” he said. “We’re going to be dealing with this for years to come. This is when peoples’ lives need to be put back together.”

A photo emerged on Monday evening that purported to show that the church was setting up air-mattresses. And while Iloff said he could confirm that the image was taken inside the church, he had not been able to reach the church administrator to confirm the timing or purpose of those air mattresses.

Osteen himself also released a statement on Monday, saying that the church is “prepared to shelter people.” His statement came amid reportsthat the George R. Brown Convention Center was over capacity on Monday night.

“We have never closed our doors. We will continue to be a distribution center for those in need. We are prepared to shelter people once the cities and county shelters reach capacity,” he said. “Lakewood will be a value to the community in the aftermath of this storm in helping our fellow citizens rebuild their lives.”

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Wednesday, August 30, 2017