Community

Resiliency and Compassion

Our Community Comes Together

Valentine’s Day in Longview, Texas, brought in a rain of hearts and an epic snowstorm! After 10-12 inches of snow, and temperatures that

plummeted to -5 degrees Fahrenheit, the city was challenged to prove its resiliency. This was one for the history books, but the worst of challenges can bring out the best in people. Neighbors helped neighbors and strangers because it was the right thing to do. The friendliness and giving nature of this area was astounding. Here are a few stories of companies that stepped up to help others, and gratitude for those actions.

Advanta Insurance Partners took coffee out to electric utility workers Tuesday afternoon who were trying to get power back on for our Longview citizens.

Andy Mack Our mayor took to social media to keep residents informed and to dispel myths and rumors regarding Utilities, Infrastructure, and Winter Weather.

Priddy Design & Construction took water to a chamber employees house who did not have running water.

Representative Jay Dean coordinated those who have 4-wheel drive vehicles to deliver water, meds, and other items for those in need.

CHRISTUS Instead of hunkering down at home, nurses chose to be snowed in at the hospitals, ensuring their patients had enough staff, food, and care.

Heritage the Market at Green Top This newly opened location recognized how quickly grocery staples disappeared, so they were proactive in ordering and announcing when they were hauling milk, eggs, bread, and other supplies. Throughout the week, they made a run for more food for our residents.

Longview and Kilgore Cable TV These techs were out in the weather, working long days in harsh conditions. They are appreciative of their customers’ kindness and their words and gestures of support. This team jumped in to do whatever it took to maintain service.

Hiway 80 Rescue Mission Thank you to New Beginnings Independent Living Homes and Sam’s donated an original 3 pallets of food donations that turned into FIVE PALLETS! Hiway 80 is thankful for these companies thinking of them; it allowed them to able to not turn people away during the time of need. WATER: Usage was only at 50% capacity.

ROADWAYS: The City Streets and Drainage Division had three crews monitoring arterial and collector streets to identify and treat areas that were icing, 24 hours a day.

WARMING CENTERS: The Longview Public Library, Hiway 80 Rescue Mission and The Salvation Army of Longview opened as warming shelters.

“This weather has been like nothing I have seen in East Texas during my lifetime and I’m sure the same can be said for many of you. With kindness, these challenging times are made easier.”

The Longview Fire Department

The Fire EMS crews had more calls than usual. To keep them nourished, the Fire Section Chiefs and Fire Assistant Chiefs reached out to partner with Sysco and Albertsons to place grocery orders that were then delivered to the stations. A big thank you to Chick-Fil-A for their donation of 180 meals and to the Dollar General Warehouse for their generosity of providing food and snacks. The crews from Station 5, located at 102 W Niblick St., are thankful to Longview Diesel and Performance for coming out to clear the station’s entries and exits.

A special thank you from Representative Jay Dean, that reflects the feelings of this community:

This has been a difficult winter for all of us with extreme temperatures prompting a major emergency. I want to commend SWEPCO and the Southwest Power Pool for the way they responded to the winter storms over the last week or so. The SPP manages the electric power grid in our area (not ERCOT), as well as in 14 other states. The SPP directed SWEPCO to implement two controlled outages, which were relatively short. SWEPCO kept us well informed during the process and returned to regular operations as quickly as possible. We were also kept informed about the workforce that they had assembled in advance of the major storm headed our way, ready to clear fallen trees and repaired damaged lines. In addition to their own crews, they arranged for contractors and utility crews from many other states to assist. They are now working to restore power in the hard-hit areas. SWEPCO and its employees are our friends and neighbors. I commend them for the difficult work they are doing to continue to provide reliable power under very difficult circumstances.

Please join me in saying THANK YOU!