North Texas First Responders Tour DFW Latter-day Saint Welfare Complex

Pictured: Leslie Horn, Nancy Coplen, Keller Fire Chief David Jones, Keller Deputy Fire Chief Shane Gainer, Grapevine Emergency Management Coordinator Matt Feryan, Colleyville Fire Chief Brian Riley, Southlake Fire Chief Michael Starr, Southlake Emergency Management Coordinator Amanda Meneses, Warehouse Manager Phil Coplen, Bill Wade, and Southlake Assistant City Manager Ben Thatcher

CARROLLTON– Fire chiefs and emergency management teams from Southlake, Colleyville, Grapevine, and Keller toured the Bishops’ Storehouse and Welfare Complex of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on August 23, 2018, to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Church’s massive outreach effort to support Hurricane Harvey victims.

Warehouse manager Phil Coplen led the group on the tour of the Carrollton Welfare Complex, showcasing its central role in response to not only Hurricane Harvey, but all disasters that strike within the region. “The storehouse, one of more than 130 around the world, is equipped with enough food and supplies to respond immediately to a disaster. This is a busy place,” said Coplen. “We are happy to help. It’s what the Savior wants us to do.”

As Hurricane Harvey approached the Gulf Coast last August, workers at the Bishop’s Central Storehouse in Salt Lake City were busy loading pallets of water and other life-sustaining supplies on several trucks for transport to Texas. Three trucks were pre-positioned. Over the next several days, ten more trucks arrived in Texas, filled with water, hygiene kits, food, cleaning supplies, clothing, and diapers. Supplies were also delivered to the San Antonio Food Bank to assist in serving an estimated 30,000 evacuees who sheltered in that community. When Beaumont lost access to fresh water following the failure of water pumps on Thursday, August 31, the Church delivered over 60,000 bottles of water to hundreds of residents. Over the course of this massive disaster, the Church coordinated closely with other relief organizations such as the Red Cross, Catholic Charities, Convoy of Hope, Adventist Community Services, and the Salvation Army.

After the tour of the 15,000 square foot storehouse, Keller Fire Chief David Jones commented, “It is amazing what this church does for its members and for the communities they serve.”

During emergencies like tornados and hurricanes, Church leaders make the services of the Church available to civil authorities. Latter-day Saint church buildings are often used as shelters, first-aid stations, feeding locations, staging, and recreation centers during times of public crisis.

Ben Thatcher, Southlake Assistant City Manager, introduced the first responders to the resources that are available should a disaster hit close to home. “In order to provide a top-notch emergency response in times of disaster, local governments recognize how important volunteers, churches and non-profit agencies are to providing support and resources. There are over 3000 Latter-day Saints right here in Northeast Tarrant County, and another 70,000 in the DFW metroplex. The Church can spring into action and mobilize in a matter of days when needed. We saw that energetic response after Hurricane Harvey.”

In the weeks after Hurricane Harvey, there were as many as 16,000 Mormon Helping Hands volunteers working in Greater Houston each day. Over one million man hours of service were provided. Leslie Horn, Assistant Public Affairs Director and a member of the Keller Latter-day Saint congregation said after the tour, “We are all part of one big team, and I remember feeling very connected to all of the big-hearted Texans last year after Harvey hit. We all just wanted to help, and I was grateful that my church could contribute both goods and man hours. My husband and son spent two weekends sleeping on the floors of school gyms in Houston and working 14-hour days. They came back full of energy and love for those whose homes they cleaned up.”

Nancy Coplen, former Colleyville City Councilwoman said of the church’s commitment to service, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is committed to providing volunteers, supplies, and support to the greater community any time there is a need. Jesus taught us to love our neighbors and do good to others, and relief efforts like the one the church undertook to help Harvey victims is a great example of the way we can help fellow Texans of all faiths.”