Attempts to Assist Storm Victims

Monday, December 28 has been chilly, with temperatures in the 30. Last Friday, Christmas Day, we were marveling at our warm and sunny weather, which was somewhere around 80 degrees.

The very next day all hell broke loose, with thunderstorms and tornadoes. The southeast corner of Garland and neighboring Rowlett were hardest hit. Homes were leveled and families displaced, with the wildest destruction occurring in Rowlett.

At this writing the area remains barricaded, with streets full of battered vehicles and pieces of homes torn apart by the twisters. Electrical power was down and cell towers were not functioning.

Today there is the additional problem of looters and folks are staying in their battered homes to protect their belongings, or at least what’s left of them.

Yesterday we learned that Lakeview Centennial High School in Garland was serving as a drop-off location and distribution point for donated goods intended for storm victims.

When we visited there today we were told that they were sending what was left of the donated goods to Church in the City, on Dalrock near Lakeview Parkway, in Rowlett and near the most devastated area in that city. The school has a

tournament about to begin, and could no longer hold those charitable activities.

Next stop was Gale fields Rec Center, where the Red Cross is overseeing activities. Not only are donated goods being sent to the rec center, but it is also serving as a shelter for displaced storm victims. We questioned a Red Cross representative about donations and volunteering opportunities for ourselves and others. She informed us that only new merchandise would be accepted and that we should go online to www.redcross.org to volunteer. We would be given a background check and then would need to attend a special class before being considered eligible. A Red Cross truck was being loaded with bottled water, and I wondered if those who receive it would be made aware of the fact that it had been donated and not supplied by the Red Cross, but merely delivered by them. We were told that donated goods that did not fit the red cross requirements were being sent to the Garland VFW Post 5076, located at Castle and Meridian.

The VFW Post was a beehive of activity, with mountains of donations filling rooms and obscuring all else. The donated goods were being sorted, but they were arriving faster than the crew on hand could absorb them. Post Commander Tom Claussen told us he was concerned that the storm victims were unaware of the stockpile of clothes and supplies at the Post. They are hosting a New Year’s celebration next Thursday evening and have to have the place cleared out by then.

Donations of goods continue to pour into the Post and calls have been received from Odessa and New Orleans from folks who want to send truckloads of goods.

For now we suggest that storm victims assistance can best be offered in the form of a cash donation or volunteer service.

Donations of material goods have been made in such volume as to have created a logistic problem for which we hope to help find solutions.

Nancy Ghirla

email: [email protected]