Hurricane Beryl made landfall two days ago and hammered Houston in devastating ways. Besides widespread damage, the aftermath has left residents struggling with outages, displacement, and deep losses. Shaunie Henderson is one of the many people affected by the Category 1 hurricane. Shaquille O’Neal’s younger children are based in the area with his ex-wife. By their social media activity, it appears they are safe and sound. But Shaunie and her husband, Keion Henderson have other problems to deal with.

Shaunie took to Instagram to share a reel showcasing the devastation this post-tropical cyclone has wrought, particularly in downtown Houston. In the same reel, the 49-year-old accompanies an emergency responder in safety gear through the Lighthouse Church. While there are no reports of any casualty among the congregation, the campus has taken significant damage.

The staffers stated that an assessment of the full extent of the damage is in process. But Shaunie’s video shows the roof has collapsed or is close to caving in, in several places, including the sanctuary. There is visible water damage and flooding in multiple rooms. There are reports of the electrical system being compromised too.

Shaunie thus took to social media with a heartfelt plea to support their community. “As you tend to your families over the next several weeks, we ask that all of our brothers and sisters across the nation and around the world pray for #TheLightHouse, our community, our city, and each other as we rebuild with a renewed spirit of healing in God’s love,” she wrote as one of the fast-growing churches in the country announced uncertainty for near future.

The building is unsafe for the foreseeable future. As the pastor and first lady of the Houston Lighthouse Church, Keion and Shaunie Henderson decided to close the north campus in Humble indefinitely to assess and repair the damage. Local reports state that the other campuses are still operational, and the staff are reviewing alternatives to keep services going.

The Lighthouse was founded by Henderson in 2009. He has been recognized time and again for his services to the community since then, all whilst realizing people’s expectations of being a ‘balanced leader who can uphold Christian values but be human too.’ He was previously a CNN Heroes Award nominee for helping with disaster aid, both locally and internationally.

Suffering the loss, he took to X to assert reassurance to the church’s many viewers once again. “We are here for our community. We are resilient and strong, and with God’s grace and strength, we will overcome this,” Henderson wrote as Texas looks to stand strong.

The Hendersons focus on restoration

Also affected by the storm is Shaq’s eldest, Taahirah. She’s moved to Atlanta to be closer to him but is originally a resident of Houston, where her mother, Arnetta Yardbourgh, still resides. Her post-storm update showed a huge fallen tree across what might have been her mother’s property while she was there during her birthday month.

Apart from Shaunie’s personal statement, the Lighthouse Church released a statement offering consolation to the congregation amid this crisis. “Rebuilding is a daunting task. However, if there is but one defining trait that unites us, it is our resilience. We have faced storms before—and we have overcome. We have faced massive repairs to our homes before—and we have overcome. We have faced heartache before—and we have overcome. When we are in our toughest test, this is the time to cry out for God’s strength, courage, and comfort,” read a part of their statement.

Days before the hurricane, Keion and Shaunie hosted the second annual Cry Out Experience in downtown Houston with a thousand attendees. They’re receiving a similarly strong show of support in their rebuilding efforts. The immediate details are not known but it would be a while before they can strategize rebuilding.

Currently, Houston still faces power, heat, and communication outages after Beryl passed through. In the meantime, the Lighthouse Church community continues to help those affected by the storm.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.