BALCH SPRINGS, Texas (ABP) — On July 28, Debbie Christner was standing on her porch as rushing water encroached on her home. While this had happened before, the water always receded prior to flooding the house.
But this time was different and the water did not slow down. She and her daughters had to be rescued by firefighters with ropes and lighted helmets. Several feet of water spent that evening in Christner's home. Nearly everything — furniture, walls, pictures, and fence — was damaged in some form. “The only thing I can keep is my TV,” she said. “And I don't even watch TV.”
Christner's home is one of several houses that Texas Baptist Men clean-out units are working on in southern Dallas suburbs. The Collin County, Lubbock and Amarillo units are serving primarily in Lancaster, where flooding damaged nearly 200 homes. By Aug. 4, TBM had 70 houses on a list to clean out.
Volunteers are removing furniture and helping residents pack their belongs for storage. Workers also are removing water-soaked wood and sheetrock.
The Texas Baptist Men Dallas Baptist Association feeding unit is preparing 600 meals a day for the Red Cross to deliver to those in need. The team was expected to continue ministering for several days. The Victim Relief Ministries unit is meeting and counseling people who were affected by the flooding.
“I just feel so sorry for these people,” said Barbara Erwin, a TBM volunteer from Shady Oaks Baptist Church in Hurst. “This is such a devastation. It affects everything.”
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