Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Disaster Response Trailer Coming

A new disaster response trailer will soon be used in times of trouble in Clark County.

Lloyd Perry, chairman of the Arkansas Disaster Response of the United Methodist Church, spoke to the Gurdon Rotary Club about the trailer.

He reminded the Rotarians of the late January snowstorm this year, saying the UMC was called in to open a shelter for stranded motorists. Some 45 visitors were aided at the shelter during the blizzard.

Perry said disaster situations were again examined, and a hole was found needing to be filled. The hole was in early responding.

Various groups work together during times of emergency to make sure all involved get the help they need. The UMC, Perry said, is responsible for long term assistance and making sure no one falls through the cracks.

The Cabe Foundation, earlier Thursday, approved a grant for $6,000 for the purchase of the enclosed trailer. This, Perry said, is a special piece of equipment.

The trailer is a 10 by 12 foot trailer with the gear early response teams need to help, including clothes, shoes, gloves and tools.

The hole, he told the club, came in between first responders and the general assistance available after the disaster hits.

There are those who come in, he said, wanting to help, but not knowing how or what to do, or even who to call.

Early responders have a primary duty of debris removal and band-aid repairs. Perry said if too much repair work is done on a structure after a disaster, the owner may not get the state and federal assistance they need to do the repairs properly.

What early responders do, he said, is put up plastic sheets and plywood to try and help keep the elements out as much as possible.

With the trailer now a reality, early response teams will be put together, Perry said. Because of the nature of the work, strong young people are needed for debris removal.

There will be 20-30 on the team, he said. During disasters the members will be rotated in and out roughly 10 at a time to help them deal with the stress involved.

The teams will be made up of volunteers who will be trained as to what will be required of them.

However, as the trailer also contains cooking equipment a "camp cook" is required as well. Other vital personnel are safety people and a chaplain.

Perry said the chaplain's duty is to talk with the victim and keep them out of the way while the workers are cleaning up the debris and making minor repairs.

This is the second such trailer put together in the state, he said. The other one is in the Fayetteville area.

According to Perry, the UMC wants to have such trailers in all parts of Arkansas. The next areas targeted are Lake Village, Little Rock and Harrison.

This trailer, Perry said, will be in Gurdon, with Ron Strickland, the district coordinator, in charge.

The idea, he said, is to have five or six of these trailers ready to respond within a 24 hour notice.