Samaritan’s Purse volunteers are helping residents recover by cutting up downed trees, tarping roofs, and mudding out homes in Brazoria County, Texas.
Hurricane Beryl slammed into southeast Texas during the early hours of Monday, July 8, bringing tornado-like winds and unloading waves of rain on the area. After the storm had swept over the Caribbean and the Yucatan Peninsula, warm Gulf waters recharged the storm and sent it spiraling ferociously towards Texas as a Category 1 hurricane.
Hundreds of homes were left destroyed or damaged across Brazoria County in Beryl’s wake. Samaritan’s Purse volunteer teams are hard at work serving these hurting homeowners in Jesus’ Name.
Beryl did not hit like the usual Category 1 storm though, according to survivors. The hurricane released torrential rains, flooding many Texas communities with over a foot of water.
Cere Muscarella is the senior pastor of Life Foursquare Church, a church that hosted Samaritan’s Purse U.S. Disaster Relief teams in 2016. He emphasized how unexpected Beryl’s strength was for people in the area. He then said, “It just ripped through here, we still don’t know what the wind velocities really were. But the damage was way beyond a Category 1. When we got up in the morning, at light of dawn, it was like a war zone.”
Volunteers pray at our host church before they deploy to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus Christ to homeowners devastated by Hurricane Beryl.
Monday night, after the storm passed, Pastor Cere got a call from Todd Taylor, manager of U.S. Disaster Relief for Samaritan’s Purse. We were able to swiftly respond in Brazoria County by coming alongside Life Foursquare Church and volunteers, equipping them to offer disaster relief in Jesus’ Name to their neighbors.
Pastor Cere described the quick response of Samaritan’s Purse as “evidence of the Lord’s orchestration” in the wake of the hurricane. So far, scores of volunteers have already begun resolving nearly 600 requests for help in the county, letting homeowners know they are not alone and God cares for them.
Beryl Brings Total Chaos for the Burches
The Burches were just one of many families caught off guard by Hurricane Beryl’s devastating power. Tim and Leslie Burch have been living in Lake Jackson for 33 years. They’ve survived hurricane after hurricane in an area that gets hit by them almost every year.
On their property, they had a tree that had withstood that same test of time and storm too. This tree had hung directly over their house since they bought the home. Tim said that they had tree servicemen come look at it and refused the job out of concern the tree would fall on the home. But, it stood strong in the winds of Hurricane Ike in 2008, and even Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that devastated Texas in 2017. So, there it sat, and over time Tim and Leslie forgot about their worries.
Tim and Leslie Burch survey the gaping tear in their ceiling from a tree that Hurricane Beryl blew over on their house.
So, when they heard Hurricane Beryl was headed toward them as a Category 1 storm, they weren’t worried. But around 4 a.m. on July 8 that tree came crashing down in their living room. At the time, Tim was sitting in another room in their home, listening to the storm rage on outside. When the tree turned the Burches’ rafters into fragments, Tim said it sounded like a bomb went off inside his house.
As Tim surveyed the upper half of the tree sitting inside his living room as morning dawned, he felt hopeless. As soon as it was safe, a tree serviceman came and took the tree off of their house, but that only unplugged the gaping hole in their roof.
Rain continued to fall freely into their home. Tim and Leslie squeegeed water out, dried up the damp remnants, and then watched rain seep into their home again. They continued the fight to prevent water damage until they gratefully welcomed Samaritan’s Purse to their home just a few days later on July 11.
Samaritan’s Purse volunteers install a tarp to prevent further water damage through an extensive breach in the Burch’s roof.
Lindsey Beacom, Leslie’s daughter, is the one who called Samaritan’s Purse. When she told her mom that they were at the top of the Samaritan’s Purse list, Leslie started tearing up with joy. When one of our teams arrived, the volunteer crew immediately got to work sealing the house with tarping and removing any remaining water inside. They have cleared limbs and branches and mudded out the home to help the Burches in their recovery.
To Leslie and Tim, volunteers were a shoulder to lean and cry on. One of those hard-working volunteers was their daughter Lindsey. Lindsey came to faith when she was 26 years old and has been witnessing to her mom and step-dad ever since. In this season of need, she is praying that the Samaritan’s Purse response will help them tangibly feel the love of Jesus Christ around them.
Leslie’s daughter, Lindsey, helps mud-out her mother’s home that was waterlogged from top to bottom.
Volunteers Serve with a Purpose
Since July 11, our volunteers have been clearing debris, cutting up fallen trees, tarping roofs, and mudding out homes across Brazoria County. Melinda Osburn, a local volunteer, said that simply lending a helping hand brings hope into hurting people’s lives, particularly those who do not know Jesus. Melinda is filled with sadness because of what has happened, and volunteering has helped her relieve that sadness and start healing the pain of the people she is serving.
Jason Frazier, another volunteer, echoed that sentiment. As a homeowner facing overwhelming devastation himself in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Jason understands that “it makes all the difference in the world to know that there are people out there who care.” Jason urges anyone who is able to come out and help.
Jason Frazier assists with cutting and removing limbs and debris at a home overwhelmed with fallen trees.
Samaritan’s Purse has received hundreds of calls for assistance from families in Brazoria County, Texas, and needs more volunteers like Lindsey, Melinda, and Jason to fulfill those needs. There is a place for you to serve. In addition to physical labor, volunteers show the love of Jesus Christ by connecting with and listening to those who are hurting after Hurricane Beryl.
Please pray for families affected by the storm as they begin the long road to recovery. Pray for God to call volunteers to help in Brazoria County, Texas, in Jesus’ Name. Pray that men and women would hear and respond positively to the Gospel.
A team member presents a Billy Graham study Bible signed by the volunteers. Leslie and Tim Burch were overwhelmed with emotion and gratitude.
