Texas Teens Helping Oklahoma Storm Victims

As cleanup efforts continue across many communities from the ice storm of 2007, some Oklahomans are getting help from a special group of our neighbors to the south. This group has undergone extensive

Thursday, January 25th 2007, 5:50 am

By: News On 6

As cleanup efforts continue across many communities from the ice storm of 2007, some Oklahomans are getting help from a special group of our neighbors to the south. This group has undergone extensive emergency training and they're putting their skills to use in the Ft. Gibson-Muskogee area.

News on 6 anchor Craig Day says Wednesday night church service is a nice break for these young men. A good opportunity to rejoice and relax. For 4 days now, Ft. Gibson has been their home away from home.

Nearly 50 members of the east Texas based ALERT, an all male Christian academy are clearing debris for ice storm victims in Ft. Gibson and Muskogee.

ALERT stands for Air, Land, and Emergency Response Team. It's a training and service organization for young people. ALERT training officer Adam Switzer explains, "A tornado usually follows a path, sludge usually follow rivers, but ice storms they are so wide and broad. So it makes the job huge because it is so wide spread."

The ALERT members are most 18 to 19 years old and they are helping folks like Buddy Stubbs of Ft. Gibson. "This is just really something. I don't know how to say how much we appreciate it."

ALERT teams have gone to more than 20 states and several foreign countries. In addition to clearing debris, the ALERT program teaches these young people a wide range of skills, including land and underwater rescue, firefighting, haz-mat cleanups, and crime scene evidence gathering. "One of the things that we teach them, we teach the men to serve. That's one of our missions and goals is to teach them to serve," said ALERT volunteer Adam Switzer.

While they serve and take away much of the debris, they'll behind a lasting impression. â€œWe're all about serving the Lord, that's an eternal thing. We try to leave them with something they can remember," says Wesley Dorman.

Buddy Stubbs is thankful. "It's nice to know there is some good left in the world." The team members take away much of the debris, but leave a lasting impression behind. The

ALERT volunteers will work through the rest of the week. They've been asked to sing the national anthem at the Ft. Gibson basketball tournament Friday. Then after worshipping on Sunday, they'll return back home to Texas.