Blanco County Disaster Response Group (BCDRG)- Home

OUR MISSION: We are a group of volunteers who gather to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of disasters in the greater Texas Hill Country and surrounding area. We recognize the need that may occur from time to time for organized and trained people to assist in larger scale incidents where local resources may be overwhelmed. These circumstances might arise due to hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, industrial/commercial disasters, terrorism, major communications/utility failures, or other untoward circumstances that severely affect those who may not be able accommodate their local conditions. To our knowledge there are few other mobile response groups organized in our rural area to bring in resources (people, skills, materials) from unaffected areas to assist in localized emergency situations. See core activities below. Currently, the center of our activities is in Johnson City, with administrative and logistical support initially provided by Johnson City First United Methodist Church (FUMC). Over time, we expect the BCDRG may stand on its own.

VOLUNTEERS:

We are volunteer based with no employees. While many of our initial volunteers are from the FUMC church, this BCDRG organization is open to all who want to help. We are actively encouraging all who have an interest to participate. There are no long-term commitments, no dues, and no qualifications other than a background check. You just need to care about helping others and be willing to donate some time. You don't have to live in Blanco County. Please tell your friends they're missing out on an interesting, rewarding experience, and get them involved. We need to hear from you in advance of disasters in order to prepare, so please contact us. See contacts below. Please provide us with your full contact information (home phone, cell phone, other phones, email address, postal address, skills and interests). We need a wide range of skills to function: administrative support personnel, technical skills (IT, electronics, ham radio), trades (plumbing, electrical, HVAC, carpentry, etc.), medical & mental health, child care specialists, general helpers, etc. If you are willing to tell us about those skills and interests in detail, we would welcome your completion of the questionnaire located under the Library link shown above.

ORGANIZATION: We are not incorporated or formally organized yet in any manner. We will seek some form of organization shortly as a not-for-profit organization and apply for IRS status as such.

OPERATING STRUCTURE: Our internal structure is also somewhat informal at the moment. However, it is shaping up as folks make commitments to help. We need folks with all skill and interest levels. We need managers and supervisors and rank and file helpers. We expect to operate in an incident command structure (ICS) following NIMS guidelines as a support unit to other agencies.

FUNDING: We currently have no direct source of income. We welcome donations of time, materials and money to accomplish our mission. We will likely seek grant money as time and talent allow. We need grant specialist volunteers to help with this process.

EQUIPMENT, MATERIALS & SUPPLIES: We are building a cache of items to use during a disaster. Click on link above on Equipment & Supplies Needed to see what we need and what you might donate personally or from a community group.

CORE ACTIVITIES: Our expectation is to build emergency response capabilities incrementally with talent and resources as they fit the need and capability of our volunteers and funding. We are open minded on what kinds of activities would be helpful and that we might be able to support on a volunteer basis. Click on above link to see full list.

JOHNSON CITY SHELTER FACILITY: Our initial focus has been the establishment of a shelter operation in Johnson City at the FUMC church. The first steps for this have been accomplished with the accreditation of the FUMC Activities Building as an American Red Cross (ARC) shelter. We have a small cadre of local folks who have been trained by the ARC to operate this shelter, and we are currently obtaining equipment and supplies to provision it should we be called upon to open this shelter. We have several volunteers who have managed ARC shelters during recent disasters in other locations.

Other response activities being considered include: Establishment of a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team, federally supported) team, an MRC (Medical Response Corps, federally supported) team, a ham radio communications support team, additional shelters in other locations, church support groups (portable day care specialists, early response teams for churches, and a phone bank). To see more, click on: Potential Assistance/Specialty Areas.

If you have areas of expertise or interest, please let us know.

TRAINING: We have started training activities, including that necessary to open the authorized ARC shelter at FUMC. Other trainings will be coordinated, with likely early focus on medical (first aid, CPR, AED, emergency responder), incident command/NIMS, and then other specialized training to support the core activates decided upon. If you can provide training in any related area, please let us know.

INTERAGENCY COORDINATION: We expect to work closely in the time of need with local governments, law enforcement, fire departments, EMS, health departments, other emergency agencies and local support groups (churches, Red Cross, etc). We are interested in coordinating in advance of such need in all respects with any agencies and individuals who might share in the accomplishment of our mission. Please contact us.

AREA WEB LINKS & CONTACTS: Communications is vital during emergencies. This very process is often impaired during the same period. Please consider linking to this web site and providing your contact information in advance of the need. If you are not on our list and would like to be, please let us know. Phone calls are welcomed but email will help with accurate details. If you would like to contribute to this web site, please contact Cofran.

EMERGENCY NEEDS: If you have a need for our emergency response services, please contact us in the order shown below.

OUR BCDRG CONTACTS:

Primary: George Barnette, 830-868-0808; Email: george@bnpr.com
Backup, Johnson City Shelter Manager & Webmaster: George Cofran, Cell: 281-300-7177, Email: GeorgeCofran@Cofran.com
Administrative Support: FUMC, JoAnn Routh, 830-868-7413 and 7414; Email: secfumc@moment.net (backup: pastor@moment.net, 512-573-1312)

Team Leaders (Section Supervisors):

Shelter Operations: Johnson City: George Cofran, Shelter Manager, see above contacts.

Team Leaders are:
Registration: Open
Food Services: Open
Volunteer Coordinator: Jeane Hardy
Security & Safety: Tom Hardy
Logistics: Joy Feuge
Mental Health & Social Services: Betty McNallen
Medical: George Cofran
Translators: Gus & Irma Sanchez
Technology: Open
Accounting & Finance: Open
Office Services: Open
Donated Goods: Open
Emergency Communications Support Section (Ham Radio): Gus Lott, 830-868-9927, email:gklott@yarcom.com

Church Response: George Barnette, see above contacts