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Mighty Mississippi menaces Delta region

15 May 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter--Good Shepherd Sunday--contain many shepherding allusions. Residents of the Mississippi Delta region need the assistance of a good shepherd to help them navigate flood waters from the swollen river that are cresting at near record levels this week. The river topped outTuesday at Memphis just inches short of the record set in 1937. Some low-lying neighborhoods were inundated, but high levees protected much of the rest of the city. The damage was estimated at more than $320 million, but an official tally won't be available until the waters recede. To the south there were no early figures on the cost of the devastation, but with hundreds of homes already damaged, "we're going to have a lot more when the water gets to where it's never been before," said Greg Flynn, a spokesman for the Mississippi emergency management agency. Downstream in Louisiana, inmates were filling sandbags to protect property in Cajun swamp communities that could be flooded if engineers open a spillway to protect the more densely populated Baton Rouge area. Fear was high across the region. "I went through [Hurricane] Katrina," said Lynn Magnuson, a New Orleans resident. "I would not wish flooding on anyone, and this city is the last place on Earth that needs any more high water." "After Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike--as well as the oil spill--Louisiana can ill-afford another large-scale disaster," said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D, La.) "Billions of dollars in property is at stake, not to mention the threat to human life." Source: Articles by Holbrook Mohr and Shelia Byrd for the Associated Press and CNN.com

flooding louisiana mississippi river floods good shepherd sunday memphis new orleans
A tide of anger in wake of Russian flood

15 Jul 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

When “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits” in this Sunday’s gospel, they exercised their authority well and were successful in their healing mission. Russian government authorities in the flood-prone Black Sea region failed to carry out their responsibilities last weekend, however, and as a result at least 171 people died in flash floods because they were not warned of the danger.A total of 29,000 people in Krymsk and the seaside resort town of Gelendzhik lost all of their possessions, while about 300 homes in Krymsk and 100 in Gelendzhik were damaged beyond repair by the floods, according to government figures released Monday. Residents were shocked and outraged to learn that officials had been aware of the flood threat at 10 p.m. Friday evening but did not take measures to rouse sleeping residents.The Emergencies Ministry admitted Monday that it had failed to warn residents about the flash flood that turned Krymsk streets into swirling muddy rivers and filled one-story homes practically up to the ceiling in the middle of the night. Many of the 171 who died were elderly residents unable to escape in time. The death toll is expected to rise.Russian President Vladimir Putin flew to the affected areas on Saturday evening to survey the damage by helicopter. He also launched an investigation into why the death toll was so high, but angry citizens do not expect accountability, and observers say confidence in the integrity of government officials is at an all-time low nationwide. Sources: Articles by Lynn Berry and Sergey Ponomarek for the Associated Press,Kirit Radia for ABC News, and Ellen Barry for the New York Times

russia floods vladimir putin black sea
Tornadoes and floods exact heavy toll

04 May 2014 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday takes refuge in God, who will “show us the path of life.” Residents of several central and panhandle states took refuge where they could find it while tornadoes and floods ravaged a stretch of the nation this week, but loss of life was still heavy. As of Tuesday, at least 34 people had died, and twisters had left a wake of carnage in Arkansas and stretches of devastation in Oklahoma and Kansas. All this was followed by devastating flooding in the Florida Panhandle.Tornadoes and other high winds flattened homes and businesses, uprooted trees, and flipped cars across sections of the South and Midwest Sunday and Monday. The National Weather Service was investigating reports of almost 100 tornadoes.The twisters were followed by floods which deluged roads and engulfed homes and cars in Florida's Panhandle and coastal Alabama on Wednesday. Florida Governor Rick Scott declared a state of emergency for 26 counties inundated by as many as two feet of relentless rain over a 24-hour period as severe thunderstorms raced across the northern part of the state.Along Alabama's Gulf Coast, major county roads were flooded and several rivers overflowed after some areas got between 22 and 26 inches of rain in 24 hours, according to Mitchell Sims, emergency management director for Baldwin County."We were rescuing people out of cars, out of ditches, out of homes," Sims said. "We are still getting reports of people trapped." The flooding appears to be the worst in 30 years in the Panhandle, according to initial radar images of the rainfall, said Eric Esbensen, a National Weather Service meteorologist.Homily hint: Long after the winds have died down and the waters have receded, people whose lives have been devastated often report symptoms suggesting a form of post-traumatic stress syndrome—sleepless nights, terrifying dreams, constant dread of the next disaster. They need comforting support, like prayers and donations to established relief agencies. Sources: Articles by Bill Cotterell for Reuters and Doyle Rice and John Bacon for USA TODAY

midwest tornados floods south
Flood victims head for higher ground

31 May 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Lord “is our help and our shield,” the psalmist declares this Sunday. Residents of Texas and Oklahoma have sought help and shelter as a barrage of storms and floods in Texas and Oklahoma this week have left at least 19 people dead and a dozen others missing. As more rain fell on the hard-hit Houston, the area struggled to clean up after a downpour of nearly a foot triggered some of the worst flooding the nation's fourth-largest city has ever seen. Hundreds of homes were damaged. Heavy weather continue in other parts of Texas, with hundreds of people west of Fort Worth told to evacuate along the rising Brazos River and flash flood warnings posted in many areas. Homily hint: Flooding is actually the most dangerous component of violent storms. If there is a silver lining to the recent natural disasters, it would be the response of the many good Samaritans who have saved lives and pulled people from flood waters. Thank God for our common humanity, and always keep it front and center in your own response to those in need. For more on flooding, see: Homeowners clean up in Texas; death toll climbs to 21

floods natural disaster shared humanity