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When James Price, the owner of in Austin, TX, got a call from his best friend, Brian Jamar, owner of All About Air a/c, saying they needed to pack up and head to Houston after Hurricane Harvey hit, he immediately packed a bag and started tuning up his old fishing boat to hit the road. Over the few days prior, James kept telling his wife he wanted to find a way to help, and it was no surprise that Brian had been feeling the same.

In 2009-2010 they were deployed to Iraq together with the Army National Guard, and a desire to strap on their boots and help on the ground when something challenging arises is a part of who they both are. They headed to Houston with a few buddies and spent most of the week attaching to other groups by lending a helping hand including members of the Border Patrol and the National Guard and helping in any way they could.

The experience had a big impact on both men and really put things into perspective: “The way I’m looking at it is this, I’m young and I have had training to handle challenging and potentially dangerous situations. I know how to act and know how to work efficiently in extreme conditions to be a good help to those who need it while still keeping myself as safe as possible, too. Young kids shouldn’t be doing this and older people shouldn’t either. This is my time to do everything I can all the time to help. It’s just the right thing” James explained before heading to the Houston area, more specifically Port Arthur and Baytown. “When people are hurting, we are called to rise up and help in any way we can. In person, through donations, or through time spent thinking of and praying about the situation. It doesn’t matter how we help, we just have to help” Price stated after returning to Austin.

If there is one ray of light that poked through the clouds of this dark situation it is that on the ground James and Brian witnessed neighbors coming together and pitching in to help each other as well as people from all over the state and even the country traveling to help everyone. There were no arguments about politics, religion, or race. There were people helping people (and animals, too). That’s what we’re supposed to do when times get rough, just love people and lend a hand.

If you’re looking for ways to help, please consider donating to:

Austin Disaster Relief

or

Houston Pets Alive http://www.houstonpetsalive.org/harvey/