Joel Osteen opens his megachurch's doors to hurricane victims after widespread backlash

Victims of Hurricane Harvey seeking shelter in Houston can now turn to local megachurch Lakewood Church, which is led by televangelist pastor Joel Osteen. The announcement came after widespread backlash over a previous announcement that the large building was closed to due to flooding.

Victoria and I care deeply about our fellow Houstonians. Lakewood’s doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter.

— Joel Osteen (@JoelOsteen) August 29, 2017

The New York Times reports that Osteen’s people insist they were planning on making Lakewood available for shelter all along.

The church had said on its official Twitter account earlier in the day that it was receiving those who needed shelter, and added that it was collecting diapers, baby food, formula and other supplies.

Don Iloff, a church spokesman, told CNN on Tuesday that the church had never closed its doors and that it was always prepared to shelter people once city and county shelters reached their capacity. Mr. Iloff did not respond to requests for additional comment.

It still doesn’t explain why they originally claimed Lakewood was flooded despite evidence to the contrary, but OK.