[an error occurred while processing this directive] [an error occurred while processing this directive]
Contact Information Date
For Immediate Release
Contact: Gregg O'Donnell 434.220.9098		 September 16, 2008
VDOF-08026

VDOF Sends Team to Hurricane-Ravaged Texas

A team of 14 people from the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) are en route to College Station, Texas, to assist with relief efforts associated with Hurricane Ike. College Station is 94 miles northwest of Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city.

The group will likely help coordinate chainsaw crews for debris removal, utility crews to restore electricity, and set up and run a food distribution center. They will be working 16-hour days, seven days a week, for approximately two weeks.

John Miller, director of Resource Protection, said, "As a first-responder agency, VDOF is often called upon to provide disaster assistance services. Our people are well trained in various types of emergency service roles. They will help in any way they can."

With a population of nearly three million, Houston is the largest city in Texas. The Port of Houston, a $15-billion petrochemical complex, ranks number one in the nation in foreign tonnage and second in total tonnage.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]