Hurricane Harvey: Trump Proclaims September 3 as National Day of Prayer
US President Donald Trump has proclaimed September 3, 2017, as a National Day of Prayer for the victims of Hurricane Harvey and for the national response and recovery efforts.
According to a White House statement, Hurricane Harvey first made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Rockport, Texas, on the evening of August 25, 2017.
The storm has since devastated communities in both Texas and Louisiana, claiming many lives, inflicting countless injuries, destroying or damaging tens of thousands of homes, and causing billions of dollars in damage.
“The entire Nation grieves with Texas and Louisiana. We are deeply grateful for those performing acts of service, and we pray for healing and comfort for those in need,” President Trump said in the statement.
The statement added that Americans have always come to the aid of their fellow countrymen — friend helping friend, neighbor helping neighbor, and stranger helping stranger — and we vow to do so in response to Hurricane Harvey.
“From the beginning of our Nation, Americans have joined together in prayer during times of great need, to ask for God’s blessings and guidance,” President Trump said.
This tradition dates to June 12, 1775, when the Continental Congress proclaimed a day of prayer following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, and April 30, 1789, when President George Washington, during the Nation’s first Presidential inauguration, asked Americans to pray for God’s protection and favor.
