Texans 'still in the storm' one year after Hurricane Rita
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A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin Pastors pray before an interfaith remembrance service of Hurricane Rita.
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Pastors
pray before an interfaith remembrance service of Hurricane Rita.
"Shelter from the Storm," was held in Beaumont, Texas, on Sept. 24, the
one year anniversary of the storm that slammed into the Texas Gulf Coast
area. A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin. Photo #061144. Accompanies UMNS
story #584. 9/28/06 |
Sept. 28, 2006
By Eleanor L. Colvin*
HOUSTON (UMNS)--Hurricane Rita was more than just a traffic jam. Ask the
people of Texas' Golden Triangle who are still struggling to put their
lives together one year later.
The hype of Rita’s anticipated landfall blew over when the storm didn’t
strike Galveston as predicted, but it still damaged Beaumont, Port
Arthur and Orange, Texas. The testimony can be found in thousands of
toppled trees, mangled webs of power lines, and those who evacuated in
the seemingly endless line of cars crawling along the roads.
"It was just the most destructive thing I've seen in my public service
career of 28 years," said County Judge Carl Griffith on Sept. 24, the
first anniversary of Hurricane Rita. Griffith was speaking at an
interfaith community remembrance service, "Shelter from the Storm," held
in Beaumont.
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A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin The Rev. Joy Richards (right) talks to prayer wall visitors.
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The
Rev. Joy Richards, pastor of Aldersgate-Trinity United Methodist Church
in Port Arthur, Texas, talks to prayer wall visitors. The wall was part
of an interfaith community remembrance service, "Shelter from the
Storm," held in Beaumont, Texas, on Sept. 24, the one year anniversary
of Hurricane Rita. A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin. Photo #061143.
Accompanies UMNS story #584. 9/28/06 |
Still stormy
"Some of the people are still right in the middle of the storm," said
the Rev. Joy Richards, pastor of Aldersgate-Trinity United Methodist
Church in Port Arthur. "It's not over for them, they're not in their
homes. It's still total chaos."
Chaos has become a very common feeling for those like Richards, who
returned to the area after being evacuated for weeks and attempted to
patch together remnants of their lives. The sanctuary of
Aldersgate-Trinity was pristine, she recalled, but the office area was
completely destroyed. The church, which sustained more than $800,000 in
damage, did most of its own repairs to help stretch the insurance money.
Assisting those who visited the prayer wall at the remembrance service,
Richards said she came to stand in solidarity with those who are hurting
because she knows recovery is a long-term process.
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A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin A Southeast Texan touched by Hurricane Rita walks the labyrinth.
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A
Southeast Texan touched by Hurricane Rita walks the labyrinth, part of
an interfaith community remembrance service, "Shelter from the Storm,"
held in Beaumont, Texas, on Sept. 24, the one-year anniversary of the
storm that slammed into the Texas Gulf. A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin.
Photo #061145. Accompanies UMNS story #584. 9/28/06 |
"They say it will take two to four years to put everything back," she
noted. "We're still hauling the garbage off. You can see, item by item,
things are getting better. But not everyone has gotten relief."
Angela Baker, director of the Rita Recovery Center run by the United
Methodist Texas Annual (regional) Conference, knows all too well that
not everyone is recovered. "We still have 900 people on our waiting
list," she reported.
The Rev. Bob Stumph, a member of the Southeast Interfaith Organization, a
group that conducted a door-to-door survey in the Golden Triangle, said
one obstacle to recovery is the startling amount of uninsured losses.
"Forty-nine percent of damaged homes had no insurance," Stumph said.
"People are trying their best to live in homes with leaky roofs and
mold. They have no way of helping themselves."
Forgotten storm
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A UMNS photo by Eleanor Colvin The Rev. Jacqui King places a prayer on the prayer wall.
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The
Rev. Jacqui King, pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Port
Arthur, Texas places a prayer on the prayer wall. King was one of three
featured speakers at an interfaith community remembrance service held
Sept. 24 in Beaumont, Texas to commemorate the one-year anniversary of
Hurricane Rita striking the state's Gulf. A UMNS photo by Eleanor
Colvin. Photo #061146. Accompanies UMNS story #584. 9/28/06. |
The Rev. Jacqui King, pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in
Port Arthur, was one of three featured speakers at "Shelter from the
Storm." She gave voice to what many Southeast Texans have declared
during the past year.
"This storm was often called 'the forgotten storm,'" she said. "Even if
you're not rebuilt yet; even if your house still has a blue roof on it -
remember 365 days ago you were stuck in traffic, somewhere praying that
your home would be safe. God knew where you were then, and he knows
where you are now."
King opened her speech with the music of gospel recording artist Israel and the New Breed singing "I Am Not Forgotten."
"We are part of a storm that some people have forgotten about," she
added. "But we thank God that our suffering did not kill us - knowing
that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and
character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us."
To send a work team to the Southeast Texas disaster recovery zone, contact the Rita Recovery office at (409) 892-0140 or e-mail volunteers@umcortexas.com.
*Colvin is the director of communications for the Texas Annual Conference.
News media contact: Linda Green, (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
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