Neighbors Helping Neighbors
W.Va. National Guard returns from Baton Rouge
Sgt. Zoe Morris
153 Public Affairs
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia National Guard members arrived back home yesterday after delivering flood relief supplies to a multi-agency warehouse in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday, September 11.
"This is another perfect example of 'neighbors helping neighbors' following the August floods in Louisiana,” said Sgt. 1st Class Denis B. Ricou with the Louisiana National Guard Public Affairs Office. “As National Guardsmen, we are accustomed to putting on the uniform, running towards danger, and helping the citizens who live in our communities. To know that our brothers and sisters-in-arms from West Virginia are with us in this recovery mission is something special."
"West Virginia received an outpouring of donations from neighbors and business to help with the flood aftermath,” said Col. Joe Peal, director of operations for the WVNG. “Now that we have moved into a demolition and rebuilding stage we were able to pass along excess cleaning supplies, such as lime and bleach."
"The West Virginia National Guard has a continuing mission in the rebuilding of our communities, and we wish the best to the people of Baton Rouge as they also continue to move forward," he said.
Eighteen Guardmembers made the trek to Louisiana, many taking time away from family and work to complete the mission.
Air Guard Master Sgt. David Deusenberry lives in Clendenin and dealt with personal property being flooded and destroyed. He said he was glad to come on the mission.
"We had so much help up there," he said, "it just seems like the right thing to do."
Pvt. 1st Class Michael Adkins, with the 1257th Transportation Company, served on State Active Duty for Operation Summer Rain in the weeks following the flooding on both a Community Assessment Team and with supply transportation.
“It's good that we're helping people in other states. That way if we ever need help maybe they'll help us,” Adkins said, echoing the sentiment of the importance of neighbors helping neighbors.
As the June 2016 floodwaters in West Virginia began to recede, pallets of cleaning supplies, non-perishable food, water and other much-needed items were donated by fellow West Virginians as well as neighbors from all over the country. Distributed by Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD), the West Virginia National Guard and others, the supplies went out all over the state.
Now that the recovery stage in West Virginia has progressed, the WVNG is helping pass on the extra supplies to the citizens of Baton Rouge as they begin to clean up and recover from the Aug. 12 flooding that damaged an estimated 146,000 homes, according to the Baton Rouge Area Chamber report.
Date Taken: | 09.15.2016 |
Date Posted: | 09.16.2016 14:48 |
Story ID: | 209855 |
Location: | WV, US |
Web Views: | 76 |
Downloads: | 1 |
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