Union IRR students head to Florida

On Sunday, October 2, at 4:30 a.m. a fleet of Union College vehicles consisting of vans, trucks and trailers rolled out to head to Fort Myers, Florida. The group comprised about 30 members, including students and graduates.

2Surv and Gideon Rescue Company, who are working with the Florida National Guard, reached out to the Union College IRR team and invited them to come down and help clean up by removing debris from houses, and assisting at a point of distribution with the Florida National Guard, where people can go and collect all resources at one spot; food, water and other necessities. 

They have completed 17 sights as of October 5, where they operate chainsaws to clear trees, tarps to protect homes from water damage and move personal items from homes to prevent mold.

Joseph Lee, the IRR Deputy Public Information Officer, said the following about the trip, “What they’re doing down there is great. The IRR students who went on disaster response to Fort Meyer are helping out the community by gaining experience.” 

The trip has been transformational for the students as well as the local community. “There are so many stories on the ground that speaks to the resilience of this community,” said Lauren Richert, Deputy Incident Commander, “There was a man who lived in one of the coastal areas that Ian hit the hardest, whose shed had collapsed on his truck, which left him unable to evacuate. He got in his boat and weathered the category 4 hurricane through 18-foot storm surges thinking he was going to die. When the surges receded, he landed on top of his house. We were able to talk to him, and work alongside him to clean out his house from damaged possessions and remove following trees and debris that were on his house, vehicles, and in his yard.” The work the Union students are doing has truly been beneficial to many.

AThrough generous donors, the IRR team has raised over $16,000 to help as many people as possible. While this may seem like a large sum of money, they still need more to cover the costs. You can donate online through Union College’s website.


By: Andrew Schwartz