DORAL, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida-based nonprofit organization is on the ground and lending a hand to the victims of the catastrophic central Texas flooding that claimed the lives of over 100 people.
The Lone Star State began to receive assistance from South Florida on Monday when volunteers with Global Empowerment Mission built necessity kits, filled with items like nonperishable food, feminine hygiene products, water and liquid hydrator loaded them onto two semi trucks.
Since then, the Miami-Dade Task Force has deployed a search team including two K9s, two handlers, and two managers to the hardest-hit areas to aid in the rescue and recovery mission.
“To assist with locating trapped victims after the flooding in Kerr County,” said MDFR Urban Search and Rescue Manager, Batt. Chief Brandon Webb. “We’ll do anything we can to assist them with recovery and getting them back to a sense of normalcy,”
Michael Capponi, President and Founder of GEM, also visited the devastated site and saw the aftermath himself.
“And then, all of a sudden, within 15 minutes, BOOM, children are gone,” said Capponi. “We’ve met people that literally have four or five children that are all gone.”
Capponi said many of the victims were just celebrating Independence Day.
“So many more people that were here on vacation for the Fourth of July had rented a cabin or that came here with their families and parked their RVs because they wanted to make bonfires and enjoy the Fourth of July,” said Capponi.
He and the GEM team toured the most desolate areas, including close to Camp Mystic, where more than two dozen people, the majority being little girls, were killed in the flash flooding.
“If you look at the tree trunks, you can see the part that’s still wet. It’s about 30 feet. And if you look at how elevated those dormitories are, they’re lower, meaning everything here was under water,” said Capponi.
Video taken at the site and shared with 7News painted a grim picture of the tragedy as articles of children’s clothing were seen stuck in piles of rubbish, downed trees and debris.
“A lot of that is clothing. A lot of these little children that you see on the news, it’s their clothing,” said Capponi.
The folks who have the daunting task of recovery and rebuilding said they are grateful for the help.
“We have no running water in town right now. People escaped their homes with just the clothes on their backs, so we’re just looking for any kind of support as you guys are definitely helping us out with that,” said Chief Lee Pool of Hunt Volunteer Fire Department.
GEM set up shop at the Hunt Fire Department, where Pool says people from the community have been working.
“Coaches from the schools, teachers from the schools, pastors preachers all coming here to pitch in,” said Poole.
Community help, Capponi echoes, is important to their mission.
“We are only as effective as the public’s heart will allow us to be effective,” said Capponi.
The area is still highly inaccessible to most, but GEM is committed to continuing their efforts.
“The people that we are giving funds to are survivors, so they were able to evacuate on time, they came back, their house was gone, they lived,” said Capponi. There’s another group of people that are no longer here, or their children perished because of this. That level of pain is not something you can describe. There’s still people doing search and rescue day and night here right now.”
If you’re interested in building necessity kits, GEM is accepting volunteers beginning Tuesday at 10 a.m.
If you can’t donate your time, you can help monetarily. To donate to GEM or to learn more, please click here. For volunteer opportunities, click here.
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