CAMP MABRY, Austin, Texas - The heavy thunderstorms that resulted in flooding all across Texas during the past 20 days is abating in some parts of Texas but may result in additional flooding through the Independence Day holiday.
"Ground transportation force packages" dispatched two weeks ago have been repositioned in accordance with weather reports that forecast heavy rainfall in Wichita Falls. Seventy Texas Military Forces Soldiers, thirty vehicles and two HMMWVs are standing by. The Texas State Guard has set up shelters.
Each ground package consists of about 30 Soldiers, 10 high-profile (2.5- or five-ton) trucks along with various support vehicles, including HMMWVs, a fuel truck, a wreck truck, "water buffalos" and generators.
The current number of Soldiers and equipment are staged or actively supporting cleanup efforts in the following communities:
- Marble Falls -- 16 Texas Army National Guard Soldier and State Guard personnel have distributed:
- 5,500 units of hand sanitizer;
- 1,000 cleanup kits (consisting of mops, buckets and shovels);
- 36,000 gallons of water;
- 1,200 personal hygiene kits;
- Saw 3,400 vehicles drive up for supplies;
- Assisted 9,350 citizens.
- Dallas-Fort Worth area, Waco, Austin, Laredo and Weslaco -- 55 Soldiers and nearly 35 vehicles are staged to assist when necessary.
- Eastland and Marble Falls -- Points of distribution (PODs) have been set up in the Home Deport parking lots to distribute water and other recovery essentials. The two Black Hawk crews, which were responsible for rescues last week, are standing by in case they are needed again.