CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (Sept. 20, 2017) -- In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, thousands of families are beginning to rebuild communities they once called home.
Many are pulling together to assist and support those who lost so much in the devastation. This is the case for employees of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center at the Corpus Christi Army Depot.
Billy Morris, an AMRDEC contractor, experienced extensive damage to his home in Aransas Pass, Texas, after a large, 100 year-old oak tree fell on his roof during the storm. Morris's house is approximately 10 miles from Rockport, Texas, which sustained the roughest winds at 130 miles per hour on Aug. 25.
Because of the extent of the damage, Morris and his family were displaced from their home. CCAD's Employee Assistance program helped Morris get in touch with FEMA, who located a room for his family at the Navy Lodge on Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
Shortly thereafter, team members and coworkers of Morris rallied together to help clean up the destruction and remove the trees covering the house.
"Several members of our AMRDEC workforce in South Texas (both government and contractor) were significantly impacted by Hurricane Harvey," said Kevin Rees, Maintenance Engineering Division chief. "As soon as our folks learned of their coworker's distress they jumped into action."
Over the course of a weekend, AMRDEC employees and individuals from Morris's contracting team, DynCorp, assisted with cutting up trees, clearing tree limbs, and removing the large stump.
"Words aren't enough to express how grateful I am to those that came out to help clear debris from my roof and property," Morris said. "I am astonished what a group of dedicated, team-oriented people can accomplish when they put their minds to it. I can't say how devastated those affected by Harvey feel. I just didn't know where to start until it was suggested to have a tree removal party at my place. I now have a direction and hope my house may be repairable."
"Our employees independently mobilized clean-up crews to remove brush, cut down damaged trees, and clean out flooded and damaged buildings," said Rees. "We often talk about Army values like loyalty and selfless service, but it was really impressive to see them lived out by our workforce during this difficult time. I am proud to be a part of this team."
---
U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center is operationally aligned to the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, and administratively aligned to the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command. This joint alignment established a closely woven research, development, acquisition, and sustainment team to provide increased responsiveness to the nation's Warfighters. AMRDEC has the mission to deliver collaborative and innovative aviation and missile capabilities for responsive and cost-effective research, development and life cycle engineering solutions.
Social Sharing