Texas communities are once again dealing with severe flooding due to Tropical Depression Imelda’s heavy rains.  As news comes in, the NAFC has been reaching out to our Texas members, as well as those in Louisiana and Arkansas as the storm continues. We heard from one member yesterday, Ubi Caritas Health Ministries in Beaumont, TX, who gives this first-hand account:

“This situation for us in Beaumont in the area we serve is worse than it was with Harvey. Our hearts are breaking for the community we serve. We are making plans to hopefully be able to get into the clinic in the morning to set up assistance to get our patients the care they need and get them to safety and to shelters. They are evacuating the area currently and will not let us in. One of our staff members husband works for the fire department and he is in the area making boat rescues and has rescued many of our patients already.”

The picture on the left is from an intersection close to the Ubi Caritas Clinic, and the video below is drone footage of the South Park neighborhood that Ubi Caritas is in. The video starts off at the end of Highland Ave, the street the clinic is on.

While the clinic is currently addressing the damage done at their facilities, in particular their dental clinic, they are also busy with boots on the ground helping their community.  They have been helping their patients get to shelters, passing out food, and locating some of their patients already at shelters to brought them insultin and diabetic supplies as many of them were left by boats in a panic and didn’t have a chance to bring their medicine along.  They have also been working to ensure that community members that were affected by the flooding know how to report the damage and where to report it to ensure they get the help they need.

The NAFC will continue to coordinate with our affected members, the Texas Association of Charitable Clinics, and our many partners to ensure that those on the ground are getting the help they need for their communities. A big thank you to our partner Direct Relief who has already committed initial emergency funds to assist Ubi Caritas.

More information on what affected members can do, a Disaster Damage & Needs Assessment Form that members can complete if they sustained any damage, how others can help and more can be found at https://www.nafcclinics.org/our-work/disaster-relief/