Photo by: Kelsey Scrinopskie
On May 20, 2013, when a 1.3 mile-wide tornado hit Moore, Okla., it affected thousands of lives. The tornado damaged more than 12,000 homes and displaced family members of Brady Houghtaling, a third-year apprentice for P1 Group.
As soon as Brady heard the news about the destruction in Oklahoma, he took it upon himself to head a P1 relief drive for the victims of the tornado. He contacted Meghan Lambrecht, P1 Group executive assistant, about getting P1 employees involved.
With only a 48-hour notice, P1 office and field employees came together and collected two truckloads of basic survival items including water, non-perishable foods items and diapers. In addition to these items, employees donated close to $900.
“I never thought I would collect as much as we did,” Houghtaling said.
After two days of collecting items and monetary donations, Brady drove four hours to Moore to make the delivery and volunteer wherever he was needed.
“I was speechless when we arrived. I stopped and looked around, and I didn’t know where to start,” said Houghtaling. “The damage was pretty widespread. It was about 20 miles of debris.”
Brady said he noticed how much the community was coming together to help clean up the city. He said several businesses were grilling food, and the Tide Relief Bus provided power, clean water and washing machines to those who lost their homes.
While this was Brady’s first trip of this nature, he said he intends to go back to Moore at the end of June.
“I’ve never done anything like this before. It felt good to give back to others.”
