*Mennonite Disaster Service flood work in Blanco and Bastrop *
May 2015 will go down in history as one of the wettest months across the
state of Texas. By the time Memorial weekend arrived, much of the region
was at least 2-4 inches (100-300%) above normal. These wet conditions meant
that any new rain and especially heavy rain would become run-off directly
into rivers, streams, and flash flood prone areas. Ingredients came
together during the memorial weekend for several rounds of very heavy rain
and severe thunderstorms to develop. Widespread 6-8 inches fell across
Bandera, Kerr, Kendall, Blanco and far west portions of Comal and Hays
counties with a max of 10 to 13 inches of rain across southern Blanco and
extreme NE Kendall counties. Most of this rain fell from Saturday afternoon
into the overnight hours of early Sunday morning, leading to a rapid rise
in the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers. The Blanco River at Wimberley rose
from near 5 feet at 9pm to near 41 feet by 1am. One staggering statistic is
that the river rose 5 ft every 15 minutes from 10:45pm to 11:45pm. This
equates to a 20ft rise along the river within a one hour time frame.
Numerous high water rescues occurred throughout the late evening and
morning hours along the banks of the Blanco and eventually the San Marcos
Rivers. There were a number of fatalities. There was significant flood
damage
<https://www.google.com/search?q=flooding+in+blanco+tx&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS467US467&espv=2&biw=1680&bih=959&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CB0QsARqFQoTCOP3xfWPhscCFUWYgAod_wYA0g>
in San Marcos, Wimberley, Martindale, and Blanco as well as other areas.
The Bastrop area had flood damage exacerbated by the lack of vegetation
after the 2011 wildfires.
Immediate response teams took action and helped people find shelter and
assistance. Homes and property has had debris removed, drywall removed,
mud removed, and have been cleaned and sprayed for mold. Insurance and
FEMA funds are being disbursed. People with insurance and resources have
been rebuilding already. However, long-term recovery organizations are
still sifting through information about people who need help with repairs
and rebuilding.
Mennonite Disaster Service typically comes on site some weeks after the
initial cleanup response and engages in helping people who do not have
sufficient resources to recover. MDS has been in conversation with
officials in Blanco and Bastrop and will begin work in Blanco on Tue, Aug 4
with groups from Seminole and Paris, Texas. This will be a 3-4 week effort.
The MDS Bastrop work will be done with volunteers who come in their RVs and
will begin as early as Sep and perhaps continue through the winter.
Volunteers will be needed to work with the crews in Blanco and there may be
opportunity to work in Bastrop as well. If you are able to work in the
heat and can free up some time please consider helping out. We will get
more specific information out within the week about opportunities for
service.
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*Sharing of joys and concerns from Sunday, July 26 (the sermon was about
hunger)*
- Stacy Vlasits - we are heading off to Utah to visit friends. We are
still trying to find a school for Martin for this coming school year.
- Andy - her children's father is in town visiting, the first visit
since they separated. It is difficult, especially for the children.
- Peggy - her godchildren in Houston are on food stamps and it is not
easy to navigate the system.
- Rudy - appreciated the help of food stamps when he was down and out.
It is difficult for people with disabilities to navigate the food stamp
system.
- Henry - pray for my wife who is sick.
- Clayton - Hannah made it back from her Georgia trip, now we are
heading to Seattle to visit friends.
- Valery - Glad that Travis made the trip safely from here to Missouri.
Lucas was in an accident while operating an ATV and cut his head.
- Lee - On July 29 celebrating 37th anniversary with Terri.
- Pat - There is food for the taking in the community garden. Donna
Wills had a fall and is experiencing pain.
- Steve Hochstetler - enjoyed camping at Wimbledon with about 5000
people which helps him visualize the difficulty of feeding such a multitude.
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*Schedule for Sunday, August 2, 2015*
* 9:30**-10:30a – *Sunday School.
- Children begin with singing and then go to separate classes. “God’s
Creation” is the summer 2015 theme.
- Adults meet in Annex 2 using the *Adult Bible Study *curriculum.
* 10:30a* –snacks, coffee, tea.
* 11:00a* – Worship with open communion.
* Noon** – Potluck meal.* Everyone is invited. After worship we all
help in putting away hymnals, setting up tables, and laying out the food.
After announcements and prayer, we enjoy a fellowship meal together. You
are welcome to help with cleanup afterward too – clean tables, put away
tables, sweep floor, do dishes, etc.
*Calendar*
*Aug 7, FRI, 5:30p – *Small group serves meal at the ARCH.
*Aug 9, **SUN** – *Sunday school, worship, contemplative prayer.
*Aug 16, **SUN* - Sunday school, worship, young adult lunch.
*Aug 20, THU* – Women’s group.
*Aug 23, **SUN* – Sunday school, worship, *congregational meeting.*
*Aug 30, **SUN** – *Sunday school, 5th Sunday worship, men’s group.
*Lee Lever, Pastor*
*Austin Mennonite Church*
AustinMennonite.org
