We survived together- A community comes together during crisis

Last week, along with much of Texas, Galveston was crippled by the ice storm. 95% of the island lost power, heat and water during the coldest time in recent memory. None of us were prepared for sustained temperatures which hovered just over zero and many of us were just stunned by the ice and cold. Yet, Galveston Urban Ministries staff mobilized early on

that first day and reached-out to the 25 families in our programs.

“My first thought when I woke up freezing that morning was to check on

our neighbors,” said Candis Jones, GUM’s Community Engagement Director. “Together with volunteers, we called and texted to make sure everyone was safe and warm. Once we discovered the needs, we worked

as a community to make sure everyone had what they needed.”

While we couldn’t get the power back on, we could meet other pressing needs. We brought cases of water to apartment buildings, assisted the Galveston Police Department with their water distribution efforts and leveraged our extensive network to connect our neighbors with vital

resources and relief.

“We stayed in touch every day,” said Brandon Williams, GUM's Student Ministries Director. “This was a traumatic event and our neighbors

needed to know they weren’t alone. They needed to know that we are

a family and we were going through this together.”

By week’s end, the electricity was back on. Most of the island had heat

and water and life was returning to normal. “I’m exhausted,” shared Brandon. “Yet, our neighbors had been empowered so they did much

of the work to help each other. We survived this together.”

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