‘It just tears at you’: Omaha Rapid Response sending volunteers to Texas
Omaha Rapid Response President Ken Gruber said volunteers will have a shower trailer they received from a donor.
By Quanecia Fraser
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BLAIR, Neb. (KETV) — Volunteers from Nebraska are gearing up to help in the aftermath of the deadly Texas floods. Omaha Rapid Response is hoping to send people there Sunday or early next week.
The president of Omaha Rapid Response said the goal is to foster hope and meet people where they are. This all comes amid an already big year for the organization. They recently built their new international headquarters in Blair.
Ken Gruber said they hope to have hundreds of volunteers going to Texas over the next few months.
Monika Philp’s home in Blair is currently being rebuilt after the 2024 Arbor Day tornado ripped it apart.
“There’s our kitchen, our roof is gone,” she says in a video she took after the tornado hit.
But in the process of her home being rebuilt, she crossed paths with Omaha Rapid Response.
“I know what it feels like when someone helps you along the way and they’re there with you,” she said.
That’s what inspired her to join the organization herself. She’s now the vice president of administration at Rapid Response America.
“(As) someone that has gone through such a challenging time, how do I bring that hope when everything else is gone?” she said.
KETV spoke to Philp and Gruber in one of three renovated buildings at Omaha Rapid Response’s new headquarters.
“We’ll have people coming in from all over the world to do training here,” Gruber said.
After looking for a property for eight years, Gruber said they finally found 13 acres of land in Blair.
“If we would have had this property a couple of years ago and had it finished the way we wanted, we would have been able to house over 100 people that first night from the tornado,” Gruber said.
And right now, Gruber said several volunteers from rapid response are getting ready to head to another disaster: the aftermath of the Texas floods.
“It just tears at you,” Gruber said.
Gruber said volunteers will have a shower trailer they received from a donor.
“And we got three private showers and a full laundry room, full-size washer and dryer, and so we can be kind of self-sustaining,” he said.
He said volunteers will be there to offer support, however they can.
“Just loving on the people, bringing some hope and light into the darkness right there,” Gruber said.
It’s something both he and Philp say is always needed.
“People will forget what you said or what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel,” Philp said.
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