KERRVILLE, Texas – Volunteers arrived in droves in Kerrville on Saturday to aid in flood recovery.
The Texas Department of Emergency Management secured Tivy Antler Stadium as the official registration and check-in site for volunteers wanting to help the community this weekend.
Check-in opened at 8 a.m. Saturday, and KSAT’s Devan Karp and Alexis Montalbo captured vehicles lining up shortly afterwards.
One group of volunteers, Caleb Parker and Matt McCown, told KSAT they traveled from Wylie, a suburb of Dallas, to help in any way they could.
“We wanted to help our community out. We’re all Texans, we all bleed red, we got to do our part,” Parker said, adding they arrived in Kerrville at 2 a.m.
“I want to help my people out, and my people are fellow Texans,” McCown said.
“We’ve been waiting all week to volunteer,” said two nurses from New Braunfels. “Our first time ever participating in a type of volunteer work was with (Hurricane) Harvey. And so after this happened, we just wanted to give back to the community.”
“It’s amazing. I didn’t expect this, honestly. So I wasn’t expecting a line, which is fine. Like, waiting in line is fine, because we’re all here for the same reasons,” said Rocio Castro, a volunteer coming from Bastrop with her parents.
“I think that’s a good thing to say about our community is that we actually had too many volunteers most of the time,” Kerrville neighbor Joe Parker said. “But something like this happens. It changes the world. Everybody comes together. They’re really doing it. It’s happening. It’s going to take a long time. But I think everybody’s in it for the long run. We’re going to get it done.”
People can head to Antler Stadium, located at Highway 16 and Holdsworth Drive, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday to volunteer.
All volunteers must register in advance through Texas Community Recovery here.
Upon arrival at the stadium, volunteers will be required to sign waivers and undergo a brief safety orientation before starting any assignments.
“This organized effort will help ensure a safe and effective response as the community comes together to support neighbors in need,” Kerrville officials said in a news release.
Click here for other ways to help first responders and others affected by the Hill Country floods.
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