For Immediate Release
July 25, 2001

Thousands of volunteers flood Houston

HOUSTON—After Allison pounded the city of Houston with nearly three feet of rain in a single 24-hour period, approximately 9,000 local Jehovah's Witnesses responded by volunteering time, skilled labor and materials to assist their neighbors. Almost immediately, a relief committee was formed to organize repair work on the 625 homes of Witnesses that were damaged.

Witness volunteers had to act quickly to prevent toxic mold from growing in the rain-soaked homes. The relief committee arranged to send a crew of volunteers to each of the homes. Plans include first removing damaged Sheetrock and insulation, then cleaning and sanitizing the affected areas, installing new insulation and Sheetrock, applying fresh paint, and replacing cabinets and flooring.

Not just Jehovah's Witnesses benefited from this volunteer spirit.

Major highways, flooded with rivers of water, prevented all but two members of the day staff of the Radisson Hotel near Hobby Airport from arriving at work on Saturday morning. Jehovah's Witnesses, in Houston for their annual Bible convention, occupied 140 of the hotel's 288 rooms. They quickly realized that the hotel needed assistance to care for its guests. According to John Rodriquez, the Hotel Duty Manager, the Witnesses ran every department except the front desk, and that was only because they were not familiar with the system. Mr. Rodriguez expressed thanks for an "amazing" performance.

A post office manager staying at the hotel stopped a Witness who had pitched in and helped with food preparation and said: "I know you don't work here. I just want you to know I appreciate what you are doing. You are feeding my family and taking care of my workers, and I won't forget this."

There are just under 54,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Houston area and just over 6 million worldwide.

National and International News contact: J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600
Local Houston contact: Jerry Peter, telephone: (281) 356-3030