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9/8/17 Report From Houston by Rick Browne

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    9/8/17 Report From Houston by Rick Browne

    Our intrepid reporter Rick Browne is embedded with Operation BBQ Relief, which you support with 5% of your membership fees. He is not only reporting and taking pix, he is cooking and delivering. Here is his latest report. Pix to follow.

    Spent early part of day with computer issues.

    Photographed volunteers from State Farm helping OBR folks prepare meals, sliced 800+ lbs. of turkey breast, packed for 29,000 meals for dinner.

    Some of OBR crew beginning to pack up, last day of meals served is Friday, then many of them headed to Florida for staging to prepare and deal with Irma. Most are exhausted already but will go if they are asked. Other OBR crews from around the country already heading for staging as well.

    Then took part of a load of 500 meals in my rental car to the First Church of Pearland, where a bunch of volunteers broke the large pans of bbq turkey, barbecued chicken, and bbq beans into individual styrofoam clamshells in individual meal portions. Families kept coming in to ask for meals so they gave out 200 within 30 minutes.

    Then helped pack a van and drove around the neighborhood of Friendswood neighborhood (very expensive, fancy large homes) to deliver meals to cleanup crews and homeowners who were at home (not very many, most have evacuated and can’t go back until homes are cleared by Health
    dept. to remove all mold).

    On certain streets almost every home had huge piles of debris on the curb, the walls, doors, furniture, carpet, flooring, major kitchen appliances, stereos, bookshelves, and etc. and etc.

    Pics. of several folks who all thanked OBR profusely, and the Church, for thinking of them and caring enough to do this.

    That’s all for now. Still can’t get the smell of mold out of my head.

    #2
    This is a post from Stan Hays at OBR:

    Day 9 showed things slowing down as we ramp down to leave Houston this weekend. Yesterday, Thursday Sept 7th we did 33,350 hot bbq meals between the Houston area and Victoria greater area. Our 9-day total is 335,460 hot bbq meals to over 155 different churches, civic groups, organizations, and first responders. Some highlights since last update:


    · 20,000 hot meals air lifted in to communities like Beaumont, Silsbee, Vidor etc.
    · Fox News broadcast live the Story with Martha McCallum on Wednesday.
    · 6 of 9 days over our previous daily feeding record set in Aug of 2016 of just over 31,000 meals
    · In 2016, we provided just over 313,000 meals in 13 days, we exceeded that number in 9 days by 22,000 down in TX
    · Approx. 100 volunteers from Farmers Insurance Austin Service Operations came and volunteered yesterday.

    Meal stats
    Day 1 - 16,090
    Day 2 - 23,625
    Day 3 - 43,200
    Day 4 - 43,350
    Day 5 - 29,800
    Day 6 - 45,760
    Day 7 - 45,760
    Day 8 - 55,575
    Day 9 - 33,350
    Total 335,460

    Today Friday Sept 8th will be our last meal service in Houston. Our agreement with the city was through Sunday Sept 10th. It will take us 2 days to clean up and move all the equipment and food product out to staging areas to be able to respond to Hurricane Irma. We are working with several local bbq teams to work and help support them in Silsbee and Vidor communities and a little longer in Victoria as well.

    Statistics on what it took to put out 335,460 meals:
    ·143,349 pounds of raw pork
    ·16,733 #10 cans of vegetables
    ·11,182 full-size aluminum pans and lids (we sent 40% of the meals out in bulk containers that held 250-750 servings so did not use as many pans as normal)

    Comment


      #3
      Wow, these stats are crazy!

      Comment


      • Craigar
        Craigar commented
        Editing a comment
        No joke. I'm still trying to wrap my feeble mind around 16,000 on the first day let alone a grand total of 335,460!!!

      #4
      Nothing short of AMAZING! Good work guys!

      Comment


        #5
        Listen, you have to see what happened down here to believe it. OBR has done a fantastic service to our community, been on local news AND Fox News nationally on Martha McCallum's segment. However they are one entity in dozens and dozens who have come to our rescue, humans helping humans. Its been heart warming and UNBELIEVABLE.

        Having said that though, as our governor has mentioned, its not the first responders that really make the difference in the long run. When the TV crews shut down and leave for Florida and the responders quietly pack up and leave, its caring for the folks who are left behind with nothing, and I mean nothing, that's going to be the long term problem. Only about 16% of all Houstonians have National flood insurance which is the ONLY way you can get insured against flood events. The rest is going to be up to the nation as a whole to find a way to help in the recovery efforts because there but for the grace of God, this indeed could be you.

        Sorry for the sermon but please keep all people in the Gulf Coast regions in your thoughts and prayers. Give a little if you can, every little bit will help !!!

        Comment


          #6
          Here are some pics of the area and the obvious continued need for help. I believe north of Beaumont peaked water level last Thursday. These were taken this past Tuesday. I would estimate water had already gone down 10' or so.
          Water pressure from inside the house pushed top of window out on first pic.
          Click image for larger version

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            #7
            Click image for larger version

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              #8
              Click image for larger version

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                #9
                The ability to find humor in devastation continues to amaze me! Click image for larger version

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                  #10
                  Wow. Good Work. Worried for my family who is currently hunkering down in North Florida. Hoping for the best.

                  Comment


                    #11
                    Amazing stuff that OBR is and has done.
                    I feel good to have been able to contribute. So many are in need right now and as Troutman touched on there's much more needed to be done in the coming weeks, months and even years after the initial response is over.
                    Keep strong brothers and sisters.

                    Comment

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