LDS temple in Houston reopens after repairing hurricane damage

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.

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.