HOUSTON, TX (August 24, 2017) – The city has issued a tropical storm warning and storm surge watch as Hurricane Harvey heads toward the central Texas coast, where several Covenant churches are located.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Harvey is “rapidly intensifying” and could grow to a Category 3 hurricane by the time it strikes the central Texas coast Friday night or Saturday morning.
Roughly a dozen Covenant congregations are located in the broad area that the storm might affect in some way.
“We don’t know how badly this is going to impact our city, but we are asked to stay alert and aware of potential dangers,” Ted Law, pastor of Access Covenant Church in Houston, wrote in an email to congregation members today.
Category 3 hurricanes can pack winds of more 115 mph. A storm that size has not hit the central Texas coast since Wilma in 2005.
As of this afternoon, it looked like the storm would land well south of Houston, but it is slow moving, which could mean a lot more rain for the region, according to the NHC. Forecasters say as much as 15 inches of rain could be dumped on the city.
“Most folks are buying water, food, gas, and checking flashlight batteries in case we’re without power for a few days,” said David Chambers, pastor of Hope Community Covenant Church in Houston.
Pastors said congregation members are checking in with others who might need assistance stocking up on supplies.
People’s Covenant Church in San Juan, Texas, cancelled a Friday night event because the area is forecast to get six inches of rain. The church is located south of Houston, near the border with Mexico.
