Volunteers clean up after fires

The sky was cloudy, but the outlooks of over 100 Austin Community College students, faculty and staff seemed bright as they volunteered at the

Oct. 8 Wildfire Cleanup at the Cavalry Baptist Church in Bastrop, Texas.

Their efforts assisted the community following the devastating wildfires that destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the Bastrop area.

Volunteer and ACC psychology sophomore Loretta Herrera said she thinks the cleanup was important, and overall went great.

"I decided to volunteer when I was watching the news from home with my family," Herrera said. "It made me realize how I take advantage of things and expect for things to stay the same, when in fact they may not."

She said she felt helpless and just wanted to support those who were affected by the fires in some way.

if more people chipped in could've done more everything was kind of Herrera said it was unsusual sifting through strangers' personal items. Some of them were broken and some were fully intact and just burnt, she said, but everything eerily stood out.

Dahlia Anzaldua Torres, ACC events coordinator, said "The assistance that was provided was appreciated

greatly, but there is still a lot left to do." She also said that if anyone is interested in helping they can contact the Bastrop Volunteer Reception Center to sign up to help.

The fires consisted of over 180 individual wildfires and took place over the course of Labor Day weekend. The fires were further aggravated by the winds of Tropical Storm Lee and burned over 116 Kilometers of land.

The ACC Wildfire Cleanup volunteers were broken into groups and taken to different zones of damage. There they worked from 9 a.m. to 7

p.m. in shifts with breaks for rest and refreshments.They shoveled ash and rummaged through remnants in areas

surrounded by burnt trees. Some volunteers took down

the dead trees and any large, damaged objects, making way for renovations and new house construction. Other helpers worked to clear smaller debris in the areas, while others organized resources back at the cleanup base camp at the church.

Funds and donations are still being collected to aid the fire victims with basic necessities. Students affected by the wildfires may seek support from ACC's Student Emergency Fund.

For more information on volunteering contact the Bastrop Volunteer Reception Center at (512) 332-2607.