SDIA Teams in Texas to Assist in Recovery
On Tues., 8/29, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) deployed Disaster Response Team 1 (DRT1) to the Houston area to assist with Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts. 20+ SDIA Members and Volunteers are on site; they were joined yesterday by a large contigency of 1st Battlion 23rd Regiment Marines that are stationed or live in the area.
DRT1 received their orders this morning and are on the move to help as many Texans as possible. 5 boat crews will assist with rescue operations in the Houston area. 5 chainsaw teams will clear trees & debris and cover roofs & windows in Rockport, which sustained significant wind/storm damage, but little flood damage. Remaining DRT1 members will conduct muck-out operations in Northwest Houston where waters have begun to recede.
DRT2 will arrive tomorrow (9/1) with additional SDIA Members and Volunteers to assist in our recovery operations. By Friday, more than 60 SDIA members and volunteers will have deployed from our Central Arkansas,
SDIA DEPLOYING DISASTER RESPONSE TEAMS TO TEXAS
Disaster Response Teams to Conduct Tropical Storm Harvey Recovery Operations Hurricane/Tropical Storm Harvey has hit Houston and southeastern Texas with over 24" of rain, with total rainfall predictions at 40-50" or more over the next few days. Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is sending Disaster Response Teams to assist with recovery efforts in the Rockport, Texas, area August 29 through September 5. More than 60 members and volunteers will deploy from our Eastern Tennessee, Kansas, North Texas, Northeast Oklahoma, Northwest Arkansas, San Antonio and Washington chapters and teams, led by National Office staff. Teams will conduct muck-out operations, clear trees and debris, and other needed tasks. In order to ensure that the SDIA disaster response teams have the supplies and materials necessary for this extensive mission, they are asking for your help. Secure financial donations can be made at www.SheepDogIA.org/get-involved/donate. Material donations of tarps, roofing nails, tools, bottled water, hygiene supplies, or other necessities, are welcomed...
SDIA Assists West Virginians Following Severe Flooding
For 5 days earlier this month, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) Disaster Response Teams (DRTs) worked tirelessly to provide disaster recovery assistance to residents of West Virginia by conducting home muck-out & debris removal, chainsaw operations, and other relief efforts as needed. Nearly 30 SDIA members and volunteers deployed from the Northwest Arkansas Chapter, Eastern Tennessee Team, Kansas Chapter, Western North Carolina Chapter, and the Southwest Virginia Team. SDIA’s on-site Incident Commander, Eastern TN Team Leader Chadd Landress, reported that by the end of the mission, DRTs worked 360 man hours and mucked (cleaned) out 41 homes; of these homes, 11 were home to Veterans or families of Veterans, 1 was Law Enforcement, and 2 were families of Firefighters. DRTs also assisted with unloading & sorting donated products, provided basic first aid to a few individuals, and other assistance as requested.
Helping West Virginia residents in need not only provided SDIA members with an opportunity to use their skills and training, it...
SDIA Deploys Disaster Response Team to Northern Illinois
Tornado season is upon us, and for Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) that means being ready to hit the road with chainsaws, tarps and able bodies to assist communities in need at a moment’s notice. On Friday, April 10, at 4:00PM, that’s exactly what happened. SDIA deployed a team of six Northwest Arkansas members and volunteers who headed north to Illinois to help the community of Kirkland, one of a few areas ravaged by tornadoes. Once in northern Illinois, the NWA team met up with other SDIA members from Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee and went to find people to help. Following the path of the tornado, the team saw areas that were virtually untouched – like a mobile home park in Rochelle – as well as areas with larger homes that were completely destroyed. Finding the Kirkland neighborhood gave the SDIA team the opportunity to assist residents by clearing downed trees, covering leaking windows and roofs, and talking with its...