NTCC welders assist with Moore, OK cleanup

† † †On May 20, 2013 the world watched in horror as an EF5 tornado swept through Moore, Oklahoma. More than 20 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed, leaving the community devastated and literally buried beneath tons of debris.

† † †Meanwhile, the Northeast Texas Community College Welder's Association began to formulate an idea of how they could reach out to help the people of Moore. Within two weeks the group had formulated a plan of action and 12 people headed north to lend a hand.

† † †"The entire group felt strongly about doing something to help. Rather than just sending supplies, we decided it would be better to actually go up there and assist with the cleanup," Marcos Sanchez, NTCC welding instructor and Welder's Association advisor, said. "We were able to use money we had raised the previous school year to cover expenses and folks from the college pitched in by donating trash bags and other supplies."

† † †The group met at 3:30 a.m. on a Saturday in early June and loaded into two trucks to make the 250+ mile trek to Moore. They arrived around 9:30 a.m. and checked in with Serve Moore, a faith-based relief organization. The welders were sent to assist with cleaning up a park area near the remains of a residential neighborhood.

† † †"To see the devastation on television is one thing. To actually see it up close in person is completely different," Sanchez said. "The entire park was covered in items from people's homes and trees were scattered around so that they looked like noodles in a pan. Nobody really knew where to begin and it was difficult to organize the process."

† † †The NTCC group dug in and soon figured out it was easier to separate the trash into piles based on materials. Other volunteers began to follow their lead, and by the end of the day, their work began to reveal the park beneath the rubble.

† † †"It was really something to experience. There were tons of people from all of the country pitching in to help ? we were all strangers, but we were accomplishing something together. By the end of the day we had piles of metal that were taller than buildings," Sanchez said. "The worksite was more than a quarter mile from the nearest house, but we picked up dolls and all sorts of personal items. It was hard to imagine a storm doing that much damage."

† † †The Welder's Association group spent the night in the area and continued to work on Sunday. As they prepared to go home, they were pleased with the progress, but saw that there was still much work to be done.

† † †"We spent a full day-and-a-half working in that park. Before we left we all went up on this hill and looked down to get a broader view of the whole area. As hard as we had worked, we really hadn't made a dent in the big picture. We knew then that we had to go back a second time," Kenneth Barker (Mount Pleasant), Vice President of the NTCC Welder's Association, said.

† † †In order to raise money, the students held a car wash in Daingerfield and received a few private donations. The employees of Priefert Manufacturing also gave $500 to help cover expenses ? which was part of more than $10,000 that the company raised to benefit relief in Moore. It was early August before six members of the group were able to make the next trip.

† † †According to Sanchez, the landscape had changed drastically in the two and half months that had passed since they were there the first time. However, there was still plenty of work to be done and the group came armed with chainsaws this time.

† † †"It was unbelievable how much different things looked in August because so much demolition had taken place. The entire area that we had worked on before had been cleaned up and was basically a blank slate," Sanchez said.

† † †They checked in with Serve Moore again, but got a different assignment this time. They were sent to a residential neighborhood to remove trees and limbs from residential yards.

† † †"The people we helped were all very grateful. They really appreciated anything we could do for them -††from just cleaning up small limbs to††removing big trees. They were just thrilled to have us there," Ana Karen, a welding student from Longview who went on both trips, said.

† † †The team put their chainsaws to work and managed to remove damaged trees from several homes in the area. Floyd Gates saw the team working in a yard and offered to pay them to come cut up a tree in his yard down the street. They volunteered to do the work for free and got to know Gates better throughout the day. He recently commented about their work on the NTCC Welder's Association Facebook page:

† † †"I just want to thank all of you once again for helping me with my tornado damaged trees. As a retired Texas Firefighter, it made me proud that some kindhearted Texans showed up at my house here in Moore, OK and helped me out in a time of need. It was like an answer to prayer! Hope you had a safe trip home and God bless you all," Gates wrote.

† † †NTCC Welder's Association members who went on the first work trip included: Marcos Sanchez (advisor), Dustin Smith, Ana Karen, Kenneth Barker, Mark Johnson, Deon Williams, Jerry Simpson, Donny Donham, Mark Lawson, David Olivares, Miguel E. Alvarado, and Jaime Zamarripa. Making the second trip were: Sanchez, Barker, Karen, Donham, Jesus Bernabe, and Tim Stevenson.

† † †"There really isn't a specific word to describe how it felt to participate in the cleanup. It just makes you feel good to know that you helped other people," Karen said.

† † †Sanchez founded the NTCC Welder's Association in 2012 as a way to help engage welding students and get them more involved in campus life. They soon began participating in activities and raising money for their student organization. They have adopted a two-mile stretch of highway 11 and they participated in the Texas Outhouse Races at the Mount Pleasant Everything Texas festival. Fundraising efforts have included a drawing for a trailer built by NTCC welding students and a benefit BBQ.

† † †"We want to thank the people who have given money and supplies to our organization. Your gifts enable us to participate in service projects like our trips to Moore, and they are very much appreciated," Sanchez said.

† † †To learn more about the NTCC Welder's Association, or for information on the welding program at NTCC, please contact Sanchez at 903-434-8178. Find them on Facebook to view more photos from their trips to Moore.