Zooming in
Members of the Sandy Creek community organized the conference, livestreamed on Instagram by content creator Megan Thuy. Speakers included those who have been affected by the flooding, as well as volunteers who are searching for individuals who are still missing.
“Since Monday, Central Texas veterans, volunteer firefighters, medics, and national and local volunteers have self-deployed to set up ground operations to conduct urgent search and rescue efforts,” according to the news release. “Bodies have been discovered, and the number of missing individuals remains unknown but is rising.”
Among the missing individuals in Sandy Creek is 16-year-old Felicity Jarmon. Her father, Jermaine Jarmon, a Sandy Creek resident for 23 years, spoke at the conference asking for help from Travis County officials and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“It’s been six days,” Jermaine Jarmon said. “There’s been no resources—like these people have said before me—and the only resources that are here is the community. This community has been wonderful.”
The approach
Jarmon said different contractors have traveled to Sandy Creek with their own equipment to help move debris and search for missing people. According to the news release, volunteers are operating without “support typically provided during federal disaster responses.”
Among the volunteers is Dan Webber, who said he observed people in the community moving debris in search of their missing family members.
“I was a deputy with the Hays County sheriff's office, and I worked a lot of disasters,” Webber said at the conference. “I've worked a lot of death, and the family members should never be the ones to do this.”
The local impact
As well as urging county and federal officials to deploy additional resources, the press conference also served as a call to the greater community.
“If you have a restaurant, if you have the ability to make and deliver meals, do it,” Webber said. “Reach out to people. Do not wait for them to reach out, because they don’t have the bandwidth. They’re busy looking for their families.”
Along with food and shelter, Webber encouraged companies to donate gear such as chainsaws, N95 masks, gas cans, crowbars and prybars to help those sifting through debris.
Learn more
Sophia Mirto, president of Hands off Central Texas, also spoke at the conference; Hands Off Central Texas is taking donations for mutual aid & hotel costs—with a goal of $65,000. Along with monetary donations and volunteers, the organization is also accepting clothing, medical supplies, water, food, pet supplies, housing and vehicles through their email at [email protected].
On July 10, a flood resource recovery center opened at Danielson Middle School in Leander providing showers, meals, food boxes, cleaning supplies, health screenings, and connection to crisis cleanup and case management, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
To find additional resources for the Leander, Liberty Hill and Lago Vista communities, see previous Community Impact coverage here.
