When disaster strikes, Texans will always rise up to help each other out. As many of our cities responded to the call for help with Hurricane Harvey rescue and recovery efforts, NTMWD board members and staff pitched in – proving that we are all #TexasStrong.
Alisha Poston, Engineering Technician, deployed with the 136th Civil Engineering Squadron of the Texas National Guard to help out with Hurricane Harvey rescue and recovery efforts. “When I got the call, I left work and grabbed my already packed bag and headed out the door, making phone calls on the way to ensure my home and child would be cared for,” said Alisha. “Upon arriving at NAS-JRB in Ft Worth I was quickly briefed and put to work.”
Rick DeRose, Ozone Supervisor, traveled with the Red River Airboat Association to help his sister and rescue other stranded victims of the flooding around Port Arthur.
Ed Budimier, Graduate Engineer, recently returned from serving with the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force as the Command Operations Center Watch Officer coordinating and tracking all Marine Corps support operations for Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma. Board Directors Jack May and Don Gordon from Garland and Bob Thurmond from Wylie took boats down in two separate groups to rescue stranded victims in Houston.
NTMWD also offered a seven-person crew partnering with the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Team (TEMAT) to provide support for Hurricane Harvey recovery operations. Team members include:
- Team Lead: Brent Lorance, Rowlett Creek WWTP
- Operator: Dustin Bailey, Panther Creek WWTP
- Mechanic: Greg Killough, Technical Services
- Mechanic: Justin Guller, Rowlett Creek WWTP
- Instrumentation: Jason Novak, Technical Services
- Electrician: Cody Kirby, Technical Services
- Parts Runner: Trace Hamilton, Technical Services
The team and necessary equipment are standing by ready to deploy at the request of the State of Texas, Texas Department of Public Safety, and TEMAT. If the team receives a mission, they will load up their equipment and head down to the Houston area to assist in wastewater recovery operations.
All considered, the combined response of Texans to help their fellow community members was, and continues to be, immense. “So many citizens immediately answered the call to help in ANY way they could, with boats, with water, with prayers, etc. completely regardless of race, culture, religion, wealth,” said Rick DeRose. “It was truly incredible. I’ve never been so proud to call myself a Texan and even more as an American. We may not have done as much as some down there, but we did as much as we could and got back home safe. A really big thank you to my family, friends, and co-workers who supported me 100% in this work.”
Alisha Poston served with the Army Reserves.
Rick DeRose and the Red River Airboat Association helped rescue people.
Directors Jack May and Don Gordon from Garland took boats down to help rescue stranded victims.
Ed Budimier served on the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force as the Command Operations Center Watch Officer.
Photo from Ed Budimier
Photo from Ed Budimier
Photo from Rick DeRose
Photo from Alisha Poston