Georgia Disaster Relief teams return from Arkansas, deploy for Texas

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Drone footage May 31 shows the Arkansas River exceeding its banks in Jefferson County, Arkansas. Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief sent two teams in the following weeks to help with the cleanup. Two more teams will respond to flooding in the Texas city of Harlinger this month. KURT BEATY/ Flickr

PINE BLUFF, Ark. — Disaster relief work in Arkansas wraps up for Georgia Baptists just as it takes shape in Texas after recent flooding.  

The second of two Cleanup and Recovery teams are returning today (July 11) from Pine Bluff, said Georgia Baptist state missionary for Disaster Response Stuart Lang. Including chaplains embedded in those teams, some 15 Georgia Baptists responded to historic flooding of the Arkansas River that crested June 6 at its second-highest point in the city's history.  

The first of two Georgia Disaster Relief teams leaves today for Harlingen, Texas. Heavy rainfall June 24-25 around the town near the Mexico border in the Rio Grande Valley broke a single-day record with 6.29 inches. The previous record had been set in flooding last year. For Harlingen and nearby Weslaco, rain totals exceeded the monthly average by more than three times the amount.  

As in Pine Bluff, the first Georgia Baptist Cleanup and Recovery team – including a chaplain – will be relieved of duty halfway through their stay. Approximately 25 Georgia Baptists will participate in the Texas cleanup efforts.  

Arkansas, cleanup, Disaster Relief, Texas