Sorry this post is later than usual. Sister Peterson, our daughter, Hailey, and I evacuated the mission home Sunday night and we were able to return this morning so we've been busy with that. Thankfully, although the lake behind us came up to the back porch, it stabilized there and no damage was incurred to our home.
The good news is that it did not rain last night and we see sun this morning. Today should be cloudy but the forecast shows no rain with sun expected Thursday and Friday. That will help dry out the area tremendously. We met with all zone leadership by conference call this morning and reiterated that waterways are swollen and dangerous. Missionaries are to avoid getting near any standing water or waterways. They will avoid flooded neighborhoods for now and areas around reservoirs. All evacuated missionaries will remain in place until we assess the safety of the areas their apartments are in.
That said, there are many areas that are dry now and that need help. All missionaries went out this morning to perform service. Some are going to help at evacuation centers or community centers. Others are going to LDS meetinghouses to help with activities there. There are also ward member needs that are being organized by local ecclesiastical leaders. The missionaries will follow the rules for these situations which are, for example, no use of power equipment, no going on roofs, no climbing ladders, no entering water, etc.
There were half a million cars lost in the storm in Houston. The THM lost no cars. We feel very blessed and have felt your prayers and faith. There is a conference call tonight for Church leaders and emergency management leaders to determine next steps. After that we will begin to get more organized on clean up efforts and can report on activities. I will update the blog once each evening for the short-term so parents and loved ones know what is happening. For now, we can all breathe easier that the threats have subsided and we are back into the business of serving our fellowman as would the Savior.
- President Peterson
