TEXAS Disaster Response Group Helps After Flood

MARBLE FALLS, Texas (August 15, 2007)
By Amy BeVille Elder, TIDR Executive Director

A disaster response team from Blanco County, Texas, organized in the spring was one of the first responders to the catastrophic flooding in the Marble Falls area in mid-July.   Team members opened the doors to the First United Methodist Church in Johnson City as a possible shelter on two different occasions, first at the request of the Blanco County Sheriff's Department and then by the American Red Cross.   Within days of the flood, the team was on the phone checking with people in flooded areas to assess needs. A plan was developed to send aid and assessment teams as soon as the Marble Falls area was ready.

A volunteer helps move debris after severe flooding in central Texas. -Amy BeVille Elder, TIDR.

 The group was soon "on the ground" in Burnet County, where it examined the damage first-hand in Marble Falls and in nearby Granite Shoals, about seven miles away, and lined up resources and volunteers. The area is about 50 miles northwest of Austin.

The first weekend after the flooding, more than three dozen volunteers hit the streets of Granite Shoals to canvass the flooded area for the city and report back on where they found flood damage and what assistance residents needed. In addition to local volunteers from Granite Shoals and Marble Falls, canvassers came from Blanco, Wimberley, Round Rock and San Antonio.  By the end of that first Saturday, volunteers produced a complete report on the city's flood aftermath for the mayor to use in applying for state and federal aid. They also quickly secured a food collection for a family that had lost all their food in the flooding.   The team also mapped and measured the extent of damage for the city of Granite Shoals. Working through Grace United Methodist Church, volunteers from Johnson City and Blanco, supported by teams from Wimberley, Austin and Round Rock, went door-to-door on two weekends to identify which houses were flooded, how badly, and what the residents needed to put their lives back on track.

A volunteer helps move debris after severe flooding in central Texas. -Amy BeVille Elder, TIDR

  The next step was to meet those needs.  Rev. Judy Baskin, pastor of First United Methodist Church in Johnson City, worked the telephones to recruit churches to provide food, clothing and bedding for residents. The response, she said, was overwhelming.  Volunteers processing the donations in Granite Shoals quickly ran out of storage space, especially with several of their churches flooded. Within 48 hours, the call for clothing and beds was so well answered it had to be canceled.

  A big breakthrough came shortly after the flooding when mainstream relief agencies arrived in Granite Shoals. An earlier meeting for responders at a local church had included six people from three churches and the United Methodist Church's Kerrville District. At a subsequent meeting the week of the flood, 32 people attended. They represented most agencies working in flood relief in the county and committed to addressing the needs of the flooded residents of the central Texas city.

  "Blanco County's help was a true blessing at a time when we all were still in shock," said the Rev. Cheri Brewster, pastor of Grace United Methodist Church. "(The) volunteers were here when no one else was, and it made the difference between getting our response off to an immediate start and floundering, waiting for someone else to come help. We won't forget what (they) did for us."

  As the new assistance began flowing in, Blanco County's volunteers were able to take a breather, to step back and let someone else take the lead and to begin training and preparing for the next call for help.

  Severe flooding in June and July affected 33 Texas counties, and many families remain in need. As counties form long-term recovery groups, funding is needed to provide for all the needs.