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Returning Residents Left Speechless by Harvey's Havoc as Faith-Based Aid Groups Step Into the Gap

CBN

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Houston and other cities in Texas are beginning the long process of recovery after the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey.

The death toll keeps rising, now at 39 people, as rescue teams are still looking for survivors and victims.

In some places more flooding as first responders launched a block-by-block, door-to-door search of badly flooded areas, pounding on doors and shouting as they looked for survivors or the dead left behind in Harvey's floodwaters.

One amazing rescue video shows the Coast Guard hammering through a roof to free one family still trapped in their attic.

Meanwhile, many people are starting to salvage what they can now that Harvey's rains have passed.

"I'm speechless, it's devastating," said Lowell Rosenthal whose home was flooded.

A hard road is ahead for many in cities that were hit hard by the storm, not only Houston but others, like Rockport, Beaumont, and Port Arthur.

The loss of power at a flood-crippled chemical plant set off explosions and a fire. And the city of Beaumont, near the Texas-Louisiana line, lost its public water supply.

More than 30,000 residents have been displaced and officials are scrambling to find long-term solutions in a place where none seem to exist.

Many have begun the process of cleaning up after the storm.

Vice President Mike Pence lent a helping hand in Rockport, where Hurricane Harvey first hit.

The White House says that some 100,000 homes were damaged by Harvey and the Trump administration is set to ask Congress for an initial round of emergency funding to help with relief efforts.

In an exclusive interview with CBN News, the President said faith-based organizations have played a large role in helping those affected by Harvey.

"Faith-based organizations have been incredible," President Trump told CBN News. "So I can just say I want to thank them very much."

CBN's Operation Blessing has been on the ground in Texas and rode along with the "Cajun navy" for the boat rescue of a 2-year-old and his family who had been trapped in their home by flood waters.

"Been trying to get to them for 3 days," said the boy's grandfather.

Operation Blessing workers had to drive through high waters to get to Beaumont where volunteers worked in a local church turned distribution center.

"There's a need for food, drinks, personal hygiene items so an Operation Blessing semi trucks arrived and even as I speak there's hundreds of cars that are coming around picking us these donations and so Operation Blessing will be here and the surrounding communities in the central Texas area as well as in Rockport, coming alongside the local church and emergency officials providing life sustaining and life saving resources in these areas," said Operation Blessing's Jody Gettys.

Meanwhile, Texas Governor Gregg Abbott has declared Sunday, Sep. 3 as a day of prayer for the state.

 


 

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