PERRYTON (WBAP/KLIF News ) – A North Texas disaster relief group is in the panhandle city of Perryton to help residents recover from a deadly tornado that tore through the area Thursday evening.
The twister killed three people and injured more than 75 others. Texas Baptist Men’s Associate Director for Disaster Relief Rupert Robbins describes the scope of their effort.
“Our box units are en route right now. They basically provide moving boxes and packing tape for victims to be able to pack and gather their belongings. We’ve got chainsaw crews on standby to come in and take care of tree work. We’ve got generators on standby,” he said.
TBM said volunteer teams from Lubbock and Amarillo are also prepared to respond.
Robbins said it’s a blessing to be able to help residents who are often traumatized in the aftermath of a tragedy.
“They’re in shock. Their eyes are dead. They’re very hopeless. It’s an incredible blessing to be able to walk up, put an arm around a shoulder and let them know that they’re not alone and that we are there to help them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy state resources to meet urgent life-safety needs in Perryton.
It’s a been an incredibly busy June for Texas Baptist Men, who’ve been working round the clock due to consistent summer storms.
“We’re grateful for North Texans in support of who and what we are. We’ve had a tough week. We’re in deep east Texas working a storm from Monday. We’re in northeast Texas working with a storm from a day before yesterday. We’re still in Amarillo helping flooding that’s going on there. We’re honored to get to be able to do what we do,” said Robbins.
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