The Brownwood Service Center of the Salvation Army received a new Disaster Response Unit (DRU) or canteen truck Wednesday morning, which will be based out of the Brownwood center to be used in not only local but also statewide disasters.
The DRU is a 2003 GMC van with a service body designed especially for cooking/delivering meals during times of disasters. The DRU features a full kitchen with a full size stove, refrigerator, microwave, a hot water supply, and is generator equipped.
“It’s a really nice vehicle,” said Brownwood/Brown County Health Inspector and Salvation Army Advisory Board Chairman Paul Coghlan. “The only thing it doesn’t have is a satellite and a television,” he said jokingly.
Salvation Army Regional Director Karen Friend has been working hard for several years to obtain equipment such as this for the area.
“We are so excited,” said Friend. “This has been such a long time coming.”
Coghlan explained that Friend was one of the first, “a pioneer” as he put it, to implement disaster relief in Brown County. He stated that she used to respond to large fires in her personal vehicle handing out ice water to area firefighters. Soon after that, she formed a partnership with Minessa Mesic, who was at that time with the Red Cross and helped with disasters. Coghlan said that he and Friend often load up a truck and go to disasters. He gave Friend credit for recently raising funds to have the small relief trailer built for local disasters.
“She started it all in about 2000, responding to local disasters,” said Coghlan. “Karen raised the money to have the little trailer built about 5 years ago.”
Salvation Army officials, Texas Division Emergency Disaster Services Director Alvin J Migues and Salvation Army Major Richard Branscum, delivered the vehicle to the Brownwood Service Center. Migues explained that the Salvation Army has two types of vehicles, the DRU and the DRV which features an even larger kitchen. The DRU which Brownwood received can prepare approximately 1000 meals per day according to Migues. He stated that the vehicle can be deployed for disasters locally in about 2 hours and that the Salvation Army tries to keep the disaster vehicles ready for service at all times.
“We were real excited to transfer the DRU to Brownwood because there has been so much good work being done in Brownwood (in relation to disaster preparedness), not only at the Salvation Army but with other nonprofit groups, that it would really be an asset to the community,” said Migues.
Migues stated that the vehicle is a used unit, transferred from Galveston Island and has been put into action for relief during Hurricanes Katrina, Ike and Rita.
Meals served by the DRU are typically 8oz portions of a protein product, vegetables and fruits; however the first day or two of disaster, while waiting for supplies to arrive, the truck is stocked with boil-in-bag and shelf-ready products such as soups and chili. Migues also explained that the USDA is very helpful during disasters to assist the Salvation Army with obtaining food to supply these units. He further stated that the Salvation Army realizes that there are more health issues these days and because of this, the the group is working to shape more health conscious menus, keeping the cost down but focusing on providing healthy meals to those in times of need.
The DRU can be mobilized locally by the Brownwood Service Center and will also be used as a statewide resource called out to any disaster in the state or possibly nationally to surrounding states said Friend. Local volunteers will go through a training this Saturday to learn how to operate and properly drive the DRU and only those completing the training will be allowed to drive the vehicle.
Brown County’s emergency response inventory has grown in the past few years with the addition of the Brown County Emergency Management’s communications trailer, the Brownwood/Brown County Health Department’s emergency trailer in March of 2011, and now the Salvation Army’s DRU and relief trailer. Local agencies recently completed a disaster drill in April to prepare for not only injuries and evacuation but also the unexpected events such as communications center and hospital damage to learn how to relocate these centers in times of disaster.
With these resources, Brown County can provide for its own and also be a statewide asset to those in need.
Pictured top (left to right) are Texas Division Emergency Disaster Services Director Alvin J Migues, Major Richard Branscum, Advisory Board Chairman Paul Coghlan, and Regional Director Karen Friend.
Below are more pictures of the event.
The Disaster Relief Unit.
Pictured above: Coghlan, Salvation Army Brownwood Service Center Executive Director Donna Harris, Major Branscum, Migues, and Friend.
Major Branscum and Migues help local employees/volunteers unload supplies from the DRU.
Local officials including Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley and Assistant Chief James Fuller view the DRU with its canopy extended over the service window.
