Photo By Staff Sgt. Brian Calhoun | Soldiers assigned to the 1223rd Engineering Company, South Carolina Army National...... read more read more
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SUMMERVILLE, S.C. - Members of the South Carolina National Guard helped clean up debris in neighborhoods affected by the floods, Oct. 8, in Summerville, South Carolina.
Soldiers with the 1223rd Engineering Company assisted residents in subdivisions throughout Dorchester County with the removal of items from their homes that had sustained water damage and transported it to the local landfill.
“Our military mission is mostly vertical construction, however, we do have assets that enable us to…adapt to circumstances such as this with debris clearance and things of that nature,” said U.S. Army Capt. Brad Harkey, 1223rd Engineering Co. commander.
Harkey added that the Dorchester County Emergency Operation Center communicated the need for assistance after conducting reconnaissance of the area and assessing the damage from the recent flood waters. Soldiers have since been working in multiple locations on these debris clearing missions.
“We were asked to help the local city since they were overwhelmed with cleanup,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Douglas Brill, 1223rd Engineering Co. “They only have so many trucks to haul debris and we had more trucks.”
The rubble included furniture, carpets, flooring and walls that were damaged beyond repair from the historic flooding that was a result of the above average rainfall levels that covered the state in early October. Residents brought the items to the side of the roads where the National Guard Soldiers could haul it away.
Community members expressed appreciation for the assistance of the National Guard troops by residents providing water for the Soldiers while they worked, as well as through words.
“I saw you guys come and it was just pure joy,” said Megan Seitz, Summerville resident. “We’re extremely appreciative. It was like ‘save the day’ today.”
Seitz explained how she understands the capabilities that the service members can provide in the aftermath of a natural disaster having grown up with her dad as a member of the South Carolina National Guard and she appreciates the efforts in the community.
While the Soldiers were able to provide assistance in the area with recovering from the storm, there is still much work to be done to rebuild the communities.
“Last night was a nightmare,” said Seitz about beginning to remove debris. “We were having anxiety over all of this…all of our bedrooms were on the first floor, so we’ve lost a lot. We’re trying to get this all out of here so that we can move on.”
Harkey added that the engineers will continue to provide assistance in debris clearing in the upcoming days, as needed.
| Date Taken: | 10.08.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 10.08.2015 17:13 |
| Story ID: | 178513 |
| Location: | SUMMERVILLE, SC, US |
| Web Views: | 390 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, S.C. National Guard engineers help clean up Dorchester County, by CPT Jessica Donnelly, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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