Contact: Erik Ogren, 704-401-2117, eogren@bgea.org 

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 21, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Massive flooding inundated Texas over the weekend, with news reports indicating that several people died, more than 1,000 homes were flooded, and hundreds required emergency rescue. It is estimated that some 8.8 trillion gallons of water fell on the state in the last few days.

In the wake of this disaster, crisis-trained chaplains from the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team have been deployed to assist those who lost homes and loved ones in the historic flooding.
 
Jack Munday, the international director of the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team, said, "Flooding is a difficult tragedy, and it's hard to recover. A homeowner basically has to throw away everything they own. Very little – if anything – can be saved. Please pray for all of those who are hurting so badly right now."
 
Al New, a veteran chaplain with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team who arrived in the Houston area on Tuesday, said, "Residents are dragging their possessions, carpet and furniture out to the curb right now. It's been raining so much that there's not much else you can do."
 
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team is deploying in coordination with Samaritan's Purse, the Christian disaster relief organization also headed by Franklin Graham. Together the two ministries will address the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of those who have been affected.
 
In addition to the deployment in Houston, the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team continues to work in the flood-impacted areas around Orange and Deweyville, Texas, as well as in West Monroe, La. The chaplains recently completed their ministry in Bossier City, La. (flooding) and Brussels, Belgium (terrorist attacks).
 
For more information on the ministry, including videos, photos, news articles and an interactive map of former and current deployments, visit www.billygraham.org/rrt. Updates can also be found at www.facebook.com/RRTChaplains.
 
About the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team:
The Billy Graham Rapid Response Team was developed by Franklin Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It has since grown into a nationwide network of chaplains in 48 states who are specifically trained to deal with crisis situations. They have deployed to more than 215 disaster sites, including shootings, floods, hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes.