MISSOURI CITY, TX (August 28, 2017) — Ed Lee, pastor of Mosaic Community Covenant Church, and other church members in this Houston suburb were forced to evacuate their homes this morning. The church also is no longer accessible due to flooding.
Some members are riding out the flooding by living on the second floors of their homes because the water has risen too high on the streets for them to safely leave, Lee said. Their homes have standing water already.
Because he has evacuated, Lee said he doesn’t know whether his house or the church has flooded. “It just keeps raining,” he said. “This is crazy.”
The city issued the mandatory evacuation order at 1 a.m. this morning, but officials warned people not to leave until daylight because travel at night was too dangerous.
Lee and his wife, Alice, as well as 10 other adults and three children, are staying at the home of his daughter and son-in-law, which is located on higher ground in the city, he said.
Even if people wanted to go to another city, now there is no way to leave because all the major roads are under water, Lee said. He added that at one point, he struggled to keep his car on the road.
Lee said lines are long at restaurants that remain open. Many other places are out of food.
Houston is facing other weather torment in addition to the flooding.
“I think the tornadoes bring the most fear,” said Margie Swenson, former co-director of missionary personnel for the ECC who is visiting family in Tomball, a north Houston suburb. So far, they have not been impacted by the flooding other than having their mobility limited to a several-block radius.
On Saturday night the Lees had to hide in an inner closet of their house when a tornado spawned by Harvey went through the community.
The number of Covenanters whose homes have been flooded continues to grow and is expected to keep rising. One couple with young children who attend Access Covenant Church in Houston had to be rescued by kayak after their house was filled knee-deep with water. The woman is pregnant.
In an email to fellow pastors, Access pastor Ted Law, wrote, “I admit that my nerves are being tested. Last night our street was a river and the water came up to our lawn and driveway. We lost power overnight. We have multiple leaks.”
Power was restored to his home this morning and the water has receded for now in his area. It is unknown how long until others can return to their homes, especially since rain is expected to continue.
According to the National Weather Service, Harvey has dumped 20 to 30 inches of rain on some parts of Houston. Isolated pockets could see as much as 40 inches as the heavy rains are expected to continue for at least several days.
A special account to which Covenanters can give to help victims of tropical storm Harvey is being set up today, said Cecilia Williams, executive minister of Love Mercy Do Justice.
The mission priority is coordinating with Covenant World Relief and the Midsouth Conference to coordinate a response through churches and other partners located in the affected regions.
“We will be assessing potential mobilization efforts for teams as the situation turns from that of rescue to relief and long-term recovery,” Williams said.
Because the storm of “epic proportions” continues, it is difficult to determine what specific actions are most needed, said Garth Bolinder, Midsouth Conference superintendent.
