From staff reports

DEWEYVILLE – Deweyville ISD received $50,000 from NRG Energy to support ongoing recovery and repairs needed following the devastating floods in March. Torrential rainfall from March 8-11, 2016 caused the Sabine River to rise to historic levels and produce flooding across the region, including the Deweyville Elementary School, which was inundated with five feet of water.

Texas State Representative James White attended the check presentation at Deweyville Junior and Senior High School on Wednesday, along with Deweyville ISD Superintendent Kevin Clark and Principal Brad Haeggquist.

“By making this commitment, our corporate citizens are sending a message that we are dedicated to rebuilding our community and will do what we need to get behind our people to help them get on with their lives in a bigger and better Deweyville,” White said.

“We are excited to be back in school,” Clark said. “This wouldn’t have happened without the team effort – including donations, time and on-site help – by good neighbors like NRG.”

In addition to the donation, NRG’s emergency mobile response vehicle, Power2Serve, has been providing on-the-ground support and power to numerous emergency responders, including FEMA, AmeriCorps and Information Technology Disaster Resource Center, at Deweyville High School for 28 days.

Equipped with a 10 kW solar array, diesel generators and a climate-controlled pavilion, the 26-foot long truck serves as a base for emergency personnel and the public to charge electronics, access Wi-Fi, stay up-to-date on news and more.

A control center inside the vehicle helped monitor the frequency and AMPs, making adjustments as needed between the solar panel generated power and the 32 diesel generators. Not only did the electricity generated charge cell phones for the first responders but also air-conditioned the pavilion on site for the volunteers.

FEMA relocated to a Disaster recovery Center established at the Senior Center on State Hwy. 87 at the end of the day Monday.

The vehicle left the area on Tuesday to return to Houston and help first responders with the flooding in the area. At least eight fatalities have been reported as the result of the April floods.

“This is a way to let the community know that we care and appreciate all of the hard work being done by the principal, school officials and local state leadership following the devastating floods,” Jennifer Vosburg, Senior Vice President, NRG Energy, said. “We also want to use this time to thank our employees that have dedicated their time and energy over the last month to help restore normalcy for the children in our community.”

Senator Robert Nichols was scheduled to attend the event but was unable to due to the weather.

NRG is the leading integrated power company in the U.S., built on the strength of the nation’s largest and most diverse competitive electric generation portfolio and leading retail electricity platform. A Fortune 200 company, NRG creates value through best in class operations, reliable and efficient electric generation, and a retail platform serving residential and commercial businesses. Working with electricity customers, large and small, we continually innovate, embrace and implement sustainable solutions for producing and managing energy. We aim to be pioneers in developing smarter energy choices and delivering exceptional service as our retail electricity providers serve almost 3 million residential and commercial customers throughout the country.