Pa. National Guard & Volunteers Head To Texas To Help In Harvey Relief Efforts
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PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Two-hundred members of the Pennsylvania National Guard are headed to Texas to help with relief efforts following the devastation brought by Hurricane Harvey.
The troops left from Middletown, Pennsylvania Monday and include drivers, mechanics and support personnel.
Gov. Tom Wolf tells the "KDKA Morning News" Pennsylvania is one of 20 states to help Texas.
"They'll be doing a number of different things, sending some mechanics down...We are doing some really important stuff to keep all the helicopters flying down there and making sure people get adequate supplies of food and water when they're trapped by flooding," said Gov. Wolf.
Wolf adds the state is preparing for Hurricane Irma in case the track of the storm heads toward Pennsylvania.
"We are doing everything we can to make sure, if it should affect us directly, [that] we are going to be as ready as we can be," said Wolf.
Western Pennsylvania Red Cross Volunteer Sandy Stein has been in Texas for the past week serving as a shelter manager. She says most people are ready to recover.
"You rarely see people that are completely broken down. They are ready to recover...There is a lot of support for the people as far as mental health services, physical health services, FEMA is here to provide them with financial assistance," said Stein.
Stein says most people at Red Cross shelters do not have a home to return to, but they will stay on the ground until everyone has a "livable place for everybody to go. That may be trailers. That may be with other family members. It may be some hotel rooms, if it's a shorter period of time...The shelter will stay open as long as we still have clients that need our assistance."
Listen to the KDKA Morning News with Larry Richert and John Shumway weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m. on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA.
