Archives > Mesquite News > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Storms damage church, but faith remains strong
By Ann Marie Shambaugh, Staff Writer
A few Bibles and a large executive desk are about the only items left intact at Lifeline Community Church of the Living God in Balch Springs after storms tore through the area June 10 and 11.
The heavy winds ripped much of the roof n which was already under repair n from the building, leaving everything inside exposed to the unfriendly elements.
Pastor Cheryl D. Wright of Rowlett said it will likely be two to three months before the building is usable again.
Until repairs are made, the church is meeting at the McWhorter Greenhaw building in downtown Mesquite for Wednesday and Sunday services, but other vital church ministries are on hold. A Friday night program for youth and a food and clothing pantry are cancelled for now.
“We’re trying to see if possibly we can do some kind of setup at the Balch Springs recreation center to have our canned goods and stuff put there,” Wright said.
The severe weather affected cities across the Metroplex last week, with the National Weather Service reporting that north Texas received up to four inches of rain during the storm. Gary Woodall, NWS spokesman, said he estimated winds reached 70 to 80 mph.
“We definitely had strong winds and a report of a tornado.” Woodall said June 11. “I’d estimate winds at 70 to 80 miles per hour , and that’s really the big story. There may have been a brief tornado. We also saw minor flooding early Thursday morning.”
In Mesquite, flooding caused the closure of Highway 80 in both directions at Town East Boulevard Thursday, and it led to just one lane of traffic on I-635 southbound just south of Gross Road.
Seventeen smaller roads were closed at one point, with five shut down for several hours because of high water. Officials also said that eight homes and one business flooded.
A lightning strike led to one house fire around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, but firefighters quickly put out the flames. No injuries were reported during the incident and it led to minimal damage.
“The resident was getting ready to go to work and heard a big loud bang and then shortly after smelled smoke,” Mesquite Fire Department Captain Chad Rose said.
Other emergency calls included a water rescue at 9:30 a.m. on the service road of Highway 80 westbound at Town East Boulevard. The caller spotted people on top of a pick-up truck. By the time help arrived they had waded to safety. The weather is also blamed for five car accidents.
The storm also caused the city to close public pools Thursday and athletic facilities Thursday and Friday.
“By Monday, we were back to normal,” Mesquite Communications Manager Greg Sowell said.
City officials report that most prolonged power outages were in southeast Mesquite around the Falcon’s Lair development. Two traffic signals were also knocked out.
As of Friday morning, about 3,600 Mesquite residences were without power. Officials at Oncor said the two-day storm was one of the worst on record in terms of power outages. About 3,600 Oncor employees worked Saturday to restore power to the 40,000 customers still without electricity across the region. It was completely restored by Sunday afternoon.
Although bothersome, the multi-day power outages were a minor inconvenience compared to the damage at Lifeline Community Church of the Living God. Wright is asking the community to come together to support those who need help the most.
“The church is requesting prayer and donations and help,” Wright said. “I’m really pleading out to … the other communities to at least help us some.”
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
