Several Fort Worth resources are being deployed in Hurricane Harvey, including 24 Fort Worth Fire Department officers, the Fort Worth Fire 5 person chainsaw crew, four Fort Worth Police Department Special Events Emergency Response (SEER) personnel, including on vehicle and 1 trailer and a Medstar Ambus.
From the city:
City of Fort Worth resources deployed in Harvey relief efforts:
– 24 Fort Worth Fire Department officers deployed and working with TX Taskforce 1 (equipment such as boat, ropes, SAR suits are also deployed)
– Fort Worth Fire 5 person Chainsaw Crew
– 4 FWPD SEER (Special Events Emergency Response) personnel & 1 vehicle & 1 trailer
– 1 Medstar Ambus
Additionally, our emergency operations center is partially activated and Fort Worth shelters are ready to receive evacuees once the state requests assistance. City leaders have met several times over the last four days to monitor and ready the emergency operations center and facilities that will be activated once the state request is received.
FAQ from the city.
• Q: What can people do to help the people evacuated from Houston and SE Texas?
o A: Best and fastest way to do so is through a financial donation to your charity of choice {Red Cross, Salvation Army, North Texas Food Bank, VolunteerNow, or other preferred emergency response groups}.
o Links:
American Red Cross www.redcross.org/donate/hurricane-harvey
Salvation Army http://give.salvationarmyusa.org/site/Donation
• Q: What about donations like clothes or household items?
o A: Please do not take donated items to shelters as they don’t have the staffing or storage to support such donations. For people in the DFW region that want to donate new/gently used clothing, toiletries and nonperishables may be dropped off at Trusted World (15660 N. Dallas Parkway, Dallas, TX 75248) from 8am-6pm daily. When specific donations are needed, we will share the request.
• Q: How do evacuees know where to go for shelters?
o A: Self-evacuees should call 211 for instructions for sheltering. United Way is handling the 211 service.
• Q: Will Fort Worth be opening any shelters?
o A: Fort Worth is prepared to open 5 shelters when needed. The shelters will open when the City of Fort Worth receives a request to provide assistance from the State of Texas.
• Q: How many evacuees can the shelters hold?
o A: The five shelters have a total capacity of 350 people.
• Q: Who will be managing the shelters?
o A: City personnel will manage the shelters. The Red Cross and Salvation Army will provide meals and personal hygiene/comfort items.
• Q: What types of assistance is Fort Worth providing cities damaged by Hurricane Harvey?
o A: Fort Worth is providing Police and Fire personnel to assist rescue operations in these SE Texas cities. Full list of personnel and resources deployed at this point is listed above. City of Fort Worth is also sending rescue equipment such as boats and debris removal chainsaws and crews.
• Q: Who is paying for all of this? Is it coming from our tax dollars?
o A: Since a state of disaster has been declared for Hurricane Harvey, the federal government will provide disaster recovery funding to the State of Texas. The State receives requests from areas affected by the disaster and locates equipment and services that are needed to combat the disaster. Per disaster protocols, the State will make a formal request to cities and counties to assist in providing additional personnel, equipment and sheltering as this disaster develops. After a jurisdiction receives a formal request for assistance from the State, expenses will be reimbursed to local governments for any services rendered. Local tax dollars are not used to provide personnel, services or shelter.
The city of Fort Worth today asked the Fort Worth ISD to allow the activation of the District’s Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center as a shelter for people who have been displaced by Hurricane Harvey.
“We have a responsibility to help the children, families, and others who have been so tragically affected by this storm,” said Superintendent Dr. Kent P. Scribner. “Given the scope of this catastrophic event we want to do anything we can to help as many fellow Texans as we can.”
Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center was used as a similar shelter in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The City of Fort Worth and the American Red Cross will conduct the sheltering operations while the Fort Worth ISD provides the venue.
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