During a holiday weekend that was supposed to be filled with celebration, Texas families were hit with unimaginable loss. Flash floods along the Guadalupe River overwhelmed parts of the Hill Country early on Friday, July 4, sweeping away vehicles, camp cabins, and homes. Across Texas, more than 130 people lost their lives in the storms, with many still missing.
Samaritan’s Purse arrived the next day in Kerr County, the hardest hit area where most of the deaths occurred. Joined by Billy Graham Rapid Response Team chaplains, our volunteer teams are out helping homeowners in Jesus’ Name. We have a second site in San Angelo, which also suffered severe flooding. Hundreds of homes have been inundated. Teams are hard at work cutting through massive cypress and oak trees, scraping out river mud from battered homes, tearing out damaged drywall, and spraying to prevent mold growth, which happens quickly in the Texas heat.
Lilia Herrera awakened at 3:30 in the morning to the sound of “a howling, horrible noise.” She opened the front door and was shocked to see the Guadalupe River flooding toward her home. Local officials reported it rose more than 25 feet in under an hour.
She knew she had to escape with her husband, Joe, who has Parkinson’s disease. They tried to flee to higher ground, but the water was running too fast for Joe to make it through. That’s when a neighbor, Ram Rodriguez, appeared. He tied a tow strap around himself and Joe, and led the family to safety. “I just thank God that I was there and able to help,” Ram said.
Lilia and Joe survived, but their home was ruined. Samaritan’s Purse volunteers spent two days working at their house to salvage what they could. “It just means so much for them to be here helping us,” Lilia said.
Their hearts were fertile ground when chaplains came to talk with them. They talked about repentance, faith, and peace with God. When Lilia heard about starting a personal relationship with the Lord, she shouted, “I want that!” Tears of relief flowed from their eyes and bright smiles spread across their faces as Joe and Lilia prayed to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
“I’m so happy!” Lilia said. “I now want to follow Jesus the rest of my life.”
We’re also helping Rosa Toler and others in her riverfront neighborhood between Hunt and Ingram, along Highway 39. My son, Edward, spoke with her while he was in Texas comforting hurting residents and supporting our volunteer teams.
Rosa said she awoke to desperate screams as a torrent of water rushed through her community. “It was apocalyptic,” she said.
She emphasized that some people simply had no chance to flee before the water rushed through their homes; others had only seconds. She barely escaped and grabbed onto a passing kayak, saving her life as she can’t swim. She then began helping elderly residents she knew in the neighborhood—rescuing one lady huddled in an attic. Rosa was grateful that our teams could mud-out her home and prepare it for contractors to restore.
The greatest need is prayer. Please join me in lifting up those who have lost loved ones and the hundreds who lost so much in a matter of minutes. Keep our teams in your prayers as we respond to this tragedy and offer the hope and comfort only Jesus Christ can provide. “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted” (Psalm 34:18).
