HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE — The Disaster Response Team at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Hot Springs Village has a new emergency trailer, but they hope they never have to use it.
“It has not been used yet, fortunately,” John Bodensteiner, chairman of the DRT steering committee, said.
The team, which has about 50 members, thought they would be better able to respond to disasters if they had a trailer but hopes it can keep the trailer parked this year.
Bodensteiner said the 6-feet-by-10-feet enclosed trailer is nearly ready for use. The trailer includes shelves to store bins of gloves, safety helmets and other items. The trailer also has chainsaws. The trailer can be used to store equipment on a site rather than having to go back and forth with equipment.
The trailer was bought after Sacred Heart’s pastoral council approved the item a few months ago, Bodensteiner said.
The cost of the enclosed trailer was $2,240, he said. Equipping the trailer with shelves, storage containers and signs as well as buying chainsaws, first aid kits, personal safety equipment and tools have come to $2,600.
“We are going to take typical things used for disasters — chainsaws, pole saws, which extend to 15 feet, rakes, shovels, gloves, chaps for people using chainsaws, helmets, gas and oil for chainsaws, typical things used to clean up after a disaster,” he said. “Also a wheelbarrow, shovels, things like that.”
The trailer will enable the disaster response team to have equipment ready when they get a call to assist following a disaster, said Marvin Young, another member of the team.
The National Weather Service reports that the severe weather season, which usually runs March through May in Arkansas, has gotten to a slow start. The NWS compares this year to 2003, which had similar weather conditions and temperature trends. There was not a lot of severe weather until late spring with below normal rainfall and dry weather into April. That year severe weather became an issue at the end of April with 11 mostly weak tornadoes over two days occurred in the state.
The Sacred Heart team has responded after tornados in Morrilton, Center Ridge and Mena in 2008 and 2009 but is set up to respond to any natural disasters where the parish might help, Bodensteiner said.
The team responds after being called upon by Catholic Charities of Arkansas, once the agency has identified people in need at a location and can direct the response team to where the help is needed, Bodensteiner said.
“When we had been on disasters before, everyone had to bring their own equipment and sometimes we did not have everything we needed,” Young said. “This way we have stuff ready for us and we know what is there and if we need anything else we can provide it. It makes it handy for us.”
Why have such a dedicated group in a parish that has not had a natural disaster?
“I think it is kind of the nature of our parish,” Bodensteiner said. “We have a large percentage of retired people. They are very giving, tend to volunteer for different things in terms of helping the poor and needy, such as the food pantry, things like that. It is kind of the nature of the people there to give back for the many things we have enjoyed.
“We are very thankful to the pastoral council for giving us the money to help us get better equipped,” he added. “We are pretty well set to help out if we can.”
Village team expanding its disaster response
