The flashing lights of a Kilgore fire engine coming down the road became a blast of warmth in the dark of night.
“The firefighters, we owe them our lives,” he said Thursday, his family safe – if displaced – after the flood wrecked their mobile home.
His second family – coworkers at Joy Global – are seeing to that.
Urieta was one of scores of Kilgore residents who packed into the ballroom at Meadowbrook Golf & Event Center Tuesday for a forum hosted by the City of Kilgore. His face twisted with emotion, alternating between grief and gratitude, the man thanked Kilgore officials and first responders for their help while despairing at the state of his home – an official “loss,” the prospects for public assistance limited.
The chances for personal help, however, were legion in that room and elsewhere.
In short order, an Allied Waste trash container was ready for the losses at the house. Sheets of fresh plywood, quietly donated by East Texas Lumber, were ready for the rebuilding. Tools were loaned and gifted. Additional helping was being coordinated.
Urieta was still a bit dazed days later, grinning broadly as his home became a hive of activity. Amid praising City of Kilgore employees like Kristi Simpson (coordinating emergency relief from Kilgore Fire Department) as well as Parks Director Danny Downing, the recent evacuee was quick to share his deep gratitude for his coworkers – the men took vacation days to pitch in at their colleague and brother’s damaged home.
“I love these guys,” he said simply.
As city employees and a slew of local and visiting volunteers look after Kilgore’s residents-in-need, the Joy Global workers say they’re just looking after their friend.
“We work together. We all look out for each other,” Karl Foster said.
“Pretty much every one of us is out of the same department,” Eldon Bowman explained. “Our goal is to try to get Julian all fixed up,” with at least a bedroom repaired by the weekend with other work underway.
In flood damaged areas throughout Kilgore, the past week has seen a steadily growing army of helpers pitching in after the heavy rainfall that became catastrophic for several dozen families in mid-March.
Hosted by KFD and funded by sponsors, the affected homeowners were invited for a free dinner at the Firehouse Bar & Grill Tuesday, ringed by volunteers and supporters.
As they recover from the flood fallout, “You’ve got friends all over town that you’ve not met yet,” Kilgore City Manager Josh Selleck said. “I couldn’t be more proud to live in a town than I am to live in Kilgore … If you need help, they’re there. It’s y’all that we’re here to help.
From the city’s side, “The flood was a lot bigger than just the neighborhood you live in. This hit a lot of places … We’ve had a lot of different types of loss here, and we’re trying to be as nimble as possible as we try to respond to that loss.”
Christine Brown of the American Red Cross offered her organization’s services. For Doug Fields and his Victim Relief helpers, “Our organization is here to provide emotional and spiritual support to y’all.” The Southern Baptists of Texas Convention Men’s Ministry lent their backs to numerous projects as did the Texas Baptist Men’s Disaster Relief Team. With the assistance of its larger network, Pilgrim Lutheran Church provided 50 flood buckets – a bucket of cleaning supplies.
“We’ve got one here for you,” the Rev. Jayson Galler said. In a difficult situation some would disdain as an ‘Act of God, “You can see good, you can see love and you can see support. We can see the love that our friends and neighbors have for us. If we can reach out and support one another, we can find good in all these bad situations.”
Local and state disaster declarations may be a help down the road, Selleck said.
“That’s a really good thing. That is a step on the path of getting us where we need to be to get some more resources in,” he explained.
Emergency workers are learning a lot about working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Simpson said.
“Not that we have FEMA (aid) for sure – we have to wait for the State of Texas to reach the threshold then the president can turn around and declare a disaster. Then we can submit: the citizens will have to reach out for individual assistance.”
The forum seemed to lift the attendees’ spirits, Simpson said.
“I think they’re still in recovery mode. One, the weight of it still hasn’t hit some people. And other people, a handful, are still at a loss,” she explained. “Some of them have had to move out of their house, and they don’t have the resources to get it worked on.”
The next day, “Everyone seemed to be in good spirits. It was kind of a workday to get it done.”
Simpson’s name has become synonymous with “help” in the past week. Residents affected by the flood are encouraged to keep in contact with the KFD administrative assistant via 903- 988-4112 for updates on local assistance and resources.
“There are people that still want to help,” she said Tuesday. “We’re trying to gather those people together. As these needs come ... we’re all learning and we’re going to work through this together.”
Nick Gaviria of Kilgore College’s Latinos en Accion was among the helpers who supported the homeowners Tuesday.
“We’re here because we want to see where we can help,” he said. “We need to get out here.”
The outpouring of support from the city, volunteers and others has been overwhelming, Kelly Gregg said.
“I’m just so blessed to live here, I really am. It’s devastating, but the way people have come together in our neighborhood” has been inspiring, she insisted, praising her neighbors Brian and Belinda Smith: “They just pulled up to our house and started helping. Their house was worse than ours, but they said, ‘We’ll do this for you.’ I started crying. I said, ‘Thank you, Jesus!’”
In the midst of catastrophe for so many people, Mayor Ronnie Spradlin said he’s been filled with pride by the response from the community.
Driving through areas struck by floodwaters, “There’s hardly any place to park at times because so many people are helping,” Spradlin said. “We share in your pain and we’re so sorry it’s happened. We want to be there for you.”
According to a situation report issued by Simpson Friday, the flood warning continues for the Sabine River at Longview, its stage at 33.9 feet Friday morning with moderate flooding occurring and more forecast. The river is expected to fall to 33.3 feet Saturday morning; at about 25 feet, the river falls below flood stage.
Meanwhile, with help on hand for residents, some city employees were able to start repairs on public property Friday.
“I have a crew of people working in Meadowbrook Park today cleaning it and getting it prepared for weekend activities,” Downing said. “Most of my guys have been assisting citizens with debris removal at their houses. Now those needs are becoming less demanding. Now that our needs are becoming less intense, I feel comfortable moving to get our amenities cleaned up for our citizens.”
Street crews began repairing potholes Thursday after debris clean-up and culvert maintenance the past week. Likewise, General Services Superintendent B.J. Owen continues inspecting property and homes damaged by the flood.
Requests for assistance and general questions should be directed to Simpson at 903- 988-4112.
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©2016 the Kilgore News Herald (Kilgore, Texas)
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