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Jan 02, 2018 | EDOT Staff

Stacy Stringer Tapped to Manage Harvey Recovery for Diocese

The Rev. Stacy Stringer, rector of Holy Trinity, Dickinson, has been named Director of Hurricane Recovery for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas and will assume the new position on February 15. Dickinson was especially hard hit by Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017. Holy Trinity, led by Stringer, assisted and supported some of the most vulnerable victims of the historic flooding.

“The Rev. Stringer brings us a wonderful blend of expertise, having great experience in project management, in the life and leadership of Christian communities, and in assessing the needs of communities after a disaster,” said the Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Bishop Suffragan of the Diocese of Texas. “She is uniquely qualified to assist our congregations in supporting communities to emerge from disaster as healthier and more connected places.  It is exciting to anticipate the leadership she will bring for this effort,” Bishop Harrison added.

A recent survey, conducted by Episcopal Health Foundation and Kaiser Family Foundation, found that three months after Hurricane Harvey, nearly half of affected Texans say they do not have the help they need to recover. Two-thirds of residents across 24 Texas counties report that they suffered property damage, employment disruptions and/or lost of income during Harvey.

“We want to work through our churches in areas of the Diocese of Texas most impacted by Harvey,” said the Very. Rev. Russ Oechsel, archdeacon and diocesan disaster relief coordinator. Oechsel also works with Episcopal Relief & Development’s Partners in Response team. “Stacy will build and oversee our diocesan strategy for long-term recovery—which may include regional locations—and coordinate work with congregations and Episcopal Relief and Development.”

During the catastrophic hurricane and historic rainfall, Stringer and her staff coordinated relief efforts, provided a strong pastoral presence for affected church members and the broader community of Dickinson. Because the church campus did not flood, she was able to offer and provide space to a flooded local social service agency serving more than 20,000 people in the area and welcomed nearby Faith Lutheran Church, which suffered major flooding, to worship with Holy Trinity. The few parishioners who were not flooded mucked out homes, housed the displaced and distributed donated recovery items to the community. In the month following Harvey, Holy Trinity became an organizing member of the Galveston County Long Term Recovery Group providing leadership and coordination of recovery efforts countywide. The FEMA-recognized GCLTRG continues to meet weekly at Holy Trinity.

Stringer graduated with a Master of Divinity degree from the Seminary of the Southwest in Austin TX in 2008 and was ordained to the priesthood in 2009.