Fairfax County team in Texas helping Hurricane Harvey victims
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| The Fairfax team brought seven boats to Texas. [FCFRD photos] |
The Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department’s Urban Search and Rescue Team is in the Houston area helping with the emergency response to the severe flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey.
So far, the team, VA-TF1, helped evacuate six residents in the Kingwood, Texas, area, and also helped people with their pets and ferried residents back to their homes so they could recover personal necessities, such as medications and valuables, FCFRD Assistant Chief Chuck Ryan reported.
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| Severe flooding stranded many thousands of people. |
They then relocated to the Katy area with other FEMA teams where they restocked their supplies and maintained their boats.
The 14-person team consists of firefighters and paramedics trained in swift water rescue. They brought seven boats to Texas, including four flat-bottomed aluminum boats for use in still waters and three inflatable Zodiac boats for rougher waters.
VA-TF1 is one of 28 FEMA urban search and rescue teams. The team is expected to spend about two weeks in Texas.
The FCFRD’s Fill the Boot fundraising campaign, underway this weekend, will also aid victims of Hurricane Harvey.
Every year during the Labor Day weekend, firefighters collect money from motorists at intersections across the county to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. After consulting with representatives from the organization, a decision was made to allocate $50,000 from 2017 Fairfax County Fill the Boot donations toward a disaster relief fund.
5 responses to “Fairfax County team in Texas helping Hurricane Harvey victims”
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I'm sorry the county didn't solicit donated items before they left.
I spent the whole day emptying my top closet shelves with comforters I've been accumulating in case we had a hurricane!
All items were laundered and put in space bags over the years, countless bed linens for beds we no longer have (king and twin).
The shabby stuff goes to Annandale Animal Hops. And t-shirts, my lord, we have drawer after drawer bagged and ready to go.
Any recommendation on how to get it to TX/LA?
Most of the recovery efforts have stressed that they do not want stuff. You would be better to donate those kinds of items to local women's shelters. Houston has numerous legit charities that you can donate to that will get diapers, formula, bedding, food, etc. to the victims.
It’s very tactless that people use natural disasters as an excuse to clean out their closets and empty out their old junk that no one wants. Take that stuff to the local Goodwill and donate cash to reputable organizations based in Houston.
Thank you for your service, team members!
Though it is a thoughtful sentiment, VA-TF1's travel kits include a variety of rescue/safe removal equipment and lifesign sensing equipment. These are the premiere folks trained for any sort of disaster around the world, sanctioned by USAID to help in any country. (Think earthquakes in Italy and finding survivors 5 days after a building collapses.) These are the SPECIALIST rescue folks in the world. So, I imagine they've taking not only the boats mentioned in the article, but also special and unique equipment for TX AND those specialists most needed for TX, too. (VA-TF1 and CA-TF2 have a variety of specialists… medical, structural engineers, etc.) As for goods, I read up on it, per Harvey, to know the BEST way I can help. One of the biggest logistical nightmares about disasters is the collolsal waste of goods being sent (WITH GOOD INTENTIONS!) far away. Too much unusable, unknown, unverified stuff sent where there is no place to store it and no people to sort through it. Cash, though not as comforting or personal, is better. IT not only buys what is MOST needed, down to micro neighborhoods, it purchases goods from the LOCAL economy which helps boost finncial recovery for local businesses. Last, but not least, FEMA and local agencies PLAN for local goods and suppliers to have extra goods on hand. They move in faster and make such planning work so very well, when we send money. Our local people need our local donations every day. Why not clean out your closets, attics, etc of useable, clean goods and unspoiled foods to help our local folks who need it. Win, win, win.