6A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
Creswell man heads to Harvey-hit Texas with supplies
Dan O'Reilly collects donations, funds to bring to hurricane-ravaged Texas
When the waters rushed into Texas on
August
25, the country held its breath at the
cmay@cgsentinel.com
images coming out of Houston. Hurricane
Harvey forced families to their rooftops as it
dumped more than 50” of rain in the region—more than the state’s
average yearly rainfall—over the course of two days. News reports
dispatched images of boats on freeways and residents begging for
help. Now, Creswell resident Dan O’Reilly is answering those
pleas.
The handyman is packing his 28-foot trailer with donations from
Creswell and surrounding communities and heading to Corpus
Christi, Texas on Saturday. Before he left though, he asked for more
donations to cover the immense need in the fl ood zone.
“They need everything,” he said. “I have a list but if someone
personally thinks that there’s something not on the list that they
might need then please, donate those items as well,” O’Reilly said.
O’Reilly took to social media, posting a list that included food,
rain gear, blankets, solar lights, water pumps, kitty litter, cell phone
charges, baby formula and diapers.
His plan was to head south on Saturday but not before stopping in
Ridgefi eld, Washington collecting donations.
“We’ve been here for about 30 minutes and I would say we have
about two cubic yards of donations and $500 in checks,” O’Reilly
said.
It was his friend’s sister in Washington who originally asked
O’Reilly if he would be willing to join a convoy headed to Texas to
help. Unable to sync schedules with the convoy, O’Reilly said he
opted to use his work trailer to bring donations on his own.
“We’re connected through the masonic lodge. I’m a member of
the Cottage Grove lodge and I called down to the lodge in Corpus
Christi,” he said.
Master of the Corpus Christi lodge, David Herbert said he got a
phone call out of the blue. “We’ve been working with the mason-
ic fraternity brotherhood,” he said. “We were lucky enough to be
spared the water in Corpus Christi but it’s four miles up the road
from us. People can see on the news but the infrastructure is pretty
bad and the kids in that area are being asked to register in different
school districts.”
The Category 4 hurricane made landfall on August 25 forcing
more than 30,000 people to seek shelter in Houston. Just over 50
inches of rain hit the region as the storm continued to touch down
throughout the weekend with winds up to 132 miles per hour.
Clean-up and rescue efforts are expected to climb to $190 billion.
In comparison, Hurricane Katrina’s costs hovered near $50 billion.
As of Friday, September 1, the death toll had reached 31, includ-
ing veteran police offi cer Steve Perez, 60, and 41-year-old Colette
Sulcer who was found with her three-year-old daughter clinging to
her, alive.
O’Reilly’s call for donations garnered over 90 replies including
offers of more than 100 toothbrushes, bundles of diapers, clothes
and other requested items.
He was at the Creswell BiMart on Friday from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
to collect donations he also took donations at Cottage Grove's Wil-
lie's Barber Shop.
By Caitlyn May
This story fi rst appeared on cgsentinel.com on
Thursday, August 31. Want to see stories before
Wednesday? Head to cgsentinel.com.
Imagine The Difference You Can Make
Dan O'Reilly readies his 28-foot trailer to bring donations to Texas after
Hurricane Harvey ravaged the area, dumping more than 50 inches in the
state and forcing families from their homes. O'Reilly planned to leave
Oregon on Saturday, September 1 and meet with the local Masonic Lodge
in Texas to distribute the donations.
Photos provided by Dan O'Reilly.
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