Hundreds still homeless in La Grange, a small Texas town ravaged by Hurricane Harvey

LA GRANGE — At Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the words Father Matthew Kinney keeps repeating to his congregation every Sunday are “Fe y esperanza.” Faith and hope.

When the waters of the Colorado River crested and inundated parts of La Grange after Hurricane Harvey hit in late August, more than 370 of his parishioners — many of them Spanish-speaking immigrants with limited knowledge of English — had their homes damaged by the flooding.

They make up a significant portion of the estimated 1,000 people left homeless after the storm deluged the city about 65 miles southeast of Austin, leaving hundreds of homes damaged and dozens of businesses destroyed.

In the month and a half since the near-historic floods, the small town of about 4,600 people has pulled together. City officials have worked extra hours and taken on responsibilities outside their job descriptions to aid neighbors, and religious leaders have played a key role.

Read more: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/harvey/2017/10/12/hundreds-still-homeless-la-grange-small-town-ravaged-harvey