A veteran pastor has been identified as one of the seven people killed in a ferry pier collapse on Georgia's Sapelo Island on Saturday afternoon.
Dr. Charles Houston, a chaplain with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), plummeted into the ocean along with at least 20 other people when an aluminum gangway collapsed around 4:30 p.m.
Houston had been with the DNR since 2008. According to his websiteHe was an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church for 40 years, said his wife, Elizabeth Houston.
“He was an honorable, good man,” Elizabeth Huston told the New York Post. “This is very difficult. I can barely speak and can't even think right now.”
Houston began his ministry in 1976 while a pastor at Plains UMC and joined the city's volunteer fire department.
He completed the “Basic Law Enforcement Training” course while attending the Coastal Georgia Police Academy and went on to become a pastor at several churches and serve as chaplain at various local police departments.
He became a certified chaplain with the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council in 1995, is a member of the International Police Chaplains Conference, and served on the Georgia Governor's Homeland Security Chaplains Executive Committee.
In addition to his chaplaincy with the DNR, Houston has served as senior chaplain for the Georgia Department of Public Safety since 1997.
Houston was remembered Saturday as a longtime helper to those he knew and helped after natural disasters.
“He was a very dedicated pastor and chaplain and was loved by those he served both in the church and in law enforcement. Please keep his family and these agencies in your prayers.” Mike -Pastor Davis spoke about his colleague and mentor.
One Facebook user recalled a recent meeting with Houston. There, a longtime pastor met families for coffee, prayed with them and gave them gift cards to “common in their grief” after their home flooded.
“I'm sad and angry, but so grateful for Charles and his life. I'm grateful for the countless family memories I have with him. I had the pleasure of meeting him recently and catching up with him. I am grateful to have been able to do this,” added Gail Gradin Rogers.
Georgia DNR spokesman Tyler Jones said there were at least 20 people standing on the pier where a gangway collapsed and sent passengers aboard the ferry into the water, including eight who were hospitalized and died. Six people are said to be seriously injured.
Rescue teams from the U.S. Coast Guard, McIntosh County Fire Department and Georgia Department of Natural Resources continue to search the waters, officials announced Saturday.
It's unclear what caused the dock to collapse, but Jones said there was no collision with a boat or other object.
“It just collapsed. We don't know why,” he told AP News, adding that a team of engineers and construction experts will be on the scene early Sunday morning to investigate what caused the sidewalk to collapse. Ta.
The fatal accident occurred as crowds gathered on the island to celebrate the small Gullah-Geechee community, made up of descendants of black slaves, for Culture Day, according to ABC News.
