LDS temple in Houston reopens after repairing hurricane damage
(Courtesy of the LDS Church) After extensive repairs following last year’s flooding from Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Texas Temple was rededicated by President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Sunday, April 22, 2018.
Months after Hurricane Harvey blew through Houston, M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, on Sunday rededicated the Mormon temple in the Texas city.
The temple had closed for repairs due to flood damage caused by the August 2017 hurricane. A nearby river had overflowed its banks and flooded the temple annex building, basement and main floor, according to a church news release.
(Courtesy of the LDS Church) President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gathers with other church leaders to review the repairs made to the Houston Texas Temple. Floodwaters breached the temple in August 2017 and the temple had to be closed.
Ballard praised the people of Houston and members of the LDS Church and other churches who volunteered their time to help clean up the city after the hurricane hit.
Harvey left tens of thousands of Texans homeless and caused billions in damage to homes and businesses. At the time, more than 2,800 Latter-day Saints had been displaced and nearly 800 reported damage to their homes from flooding, according to Tribune reports. The region supports about 85,000 members.
The renovation was completed in almost half the time and under budget, the release says, and the temple now has 54 new pieces of artwork.
The Houston Temple, which was dedicated in 2000 and is nearly 34,000 square feet, has a contemporary, single-spire design commonly used for Mormon temples in recent decades, the release says. But unlike many of its contemporaries, the temple includes buttresses on its façade, creating a castlelike appearance.
Mormons view temples as houses of God, places where devout members take part in their faith’s most sacred ceremonies, including eternal marriages.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the governing First Presidency, speaks with LDS volunteers working on Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts in parts of Houston, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Houston Texas Temple of the LDS Temple in Spring, Texas. Sept. 03, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Residents of Wimbledon Estates in Spring, Texas, pile belongings and the interior of homes in yards following Hurricane Harvey. Members of the LDS Church in Houston were in the neighborhood assisting resideints with cleanup after Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Residents of Wimbledon Estates in Spring, Texas, pile belongings and the interior of homes in yards following Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Members of the LDS Church in Houston were in the neighborhood assisting resideints with cleanup after Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Patrick Dougal, of Spring, Texas, recounts his night of waiting out Hurricane Harvey with his family. The four of them trapped for a night on the second floor of their home and later rescued by boat. Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Dougal family, l-r, Maryn, Natalyn, Tiffanie and Patrick, recount their night waiting out Hurricane Harvey. The four of them were trapped for a night on the second floor of their home and later rescued by boat. Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Tiffanie Dougal, of Spring, Texas, recounts her night of waiting out Hurricane Harvey with her family. The four of them were trapped for a night on the second floor of their home and later rescued by boat. Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Belongings were piled in yard upon yard in Wimbledon Estates in Spring, Texas. Members of the LDS Church in Houston were in the neighborhood assisting resideints with cleanup after Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Stirling Pack explains how the LDS Church response to Hurricane Harvey in Houston on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. Stirling is the Houston Texas Region Disaster Coordinator for the church and oversees recovery efforts in parts of Texas and Louisiana.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, center, visits the Houston Temple on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, along with Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé, left, and Houston Temple President Marshall Hayes, right.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Houston Temple President Marshall Hayes, center, explains some of the needs of Houston-area stakes, or groups of congregations, to Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second counselor in the governing First Presidency, left.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Presiding Bishop Gérald Caussé visits with LDS Church members in Spring, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Members of the Houston, Texas, area's LDS community fill the hall of a church in Tomball, Texas, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017. There was a large turnout for the visit of Dieter F. Uchtdorf, who is the second counselor of the First Presidency of the church.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dieter F. Uchtdorf smiles at the crowd of LDS members on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017, during a visit to Tomball, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey.
(Rachel Molenda | The Salt Lake Tribune) Dieter F. Uchtdorf, second president of the governing First Presidency, addresses LDS members from the Houston area at the Tomball church in Tomball, Houston, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017.
