FLORENCE, Ky. — Several Greater Cincinnati area nonprofits were deployed to Texas Wednesday to help with cleanup and search and rescue efforts following tragic flash flooding.
The Cincinnati Tri-State Quick Response Team (QRT) consists of four local nonprofits that decided to bring their efforts and skills together with the hopes of helping more after natural disasters. Their trip to Kerrville will be their first as a team.
One of those nonprofits is Masters of Disaster. I asked their executive director, Darin Kroger, what the biggest needs are down in Kerrville.
“Their biggest need right now is closure,” said Kroger.
Over 130 people have lost their lives to the flooding, with 101 still missing as of Tuesday afternoon.
WATCH: How four Tri-State non-profits plan to help those affected by flooding in Kerrville
“Two weeks after the event, those individuals still need to be found so the families can have some closure, so they can have some answers to their situation,” Kroger said as he held back tears.
The Cincinnati Tri-State QRT was created after all four organizations met while responding to the Ohio River flooding back in April. The other three groups are The SITREP Foundation, American Regulators USA and Code 3 Search and Rescue.
“It’s very open-ended on what we’re gonna be doing, and we’re just going down with open hands, and saying hey use us in any way you can,” said Kroger.
Masters of Disaster will be providing chaplain services to not only survivors, but also first responders of the flooding.
“I don’t think any of us have experienced it to this magnitude. It is such a tragedy,” said Kroger.
The SITREP Foundation will be providing communication support and a command center, Code 3 will be helping with search and rescue, and American Regulators USA will provide any help necessary to the teams down there.
The team is scheduled to head back to the Tri-State on July 31.
If you wish to help fund Cincinnati Tri-State QRT's trip to Kerrville, you can donate to any organization on their website.
