COLLEGE STATION — Reed Arena general manager Darren Davis would have enjoyed greeting the first arrivals to Texas A&M’s spacious warming center Tuesday afternoon, but three abrupt disruptions earned his tri-divided attention.
“At the very minute we were opening the shelter, we had three simultaneous water leaks in the building,” Davis recalled of the memorable, moist moment in Reed Arena. “To launch a shelter and to have operational issues in the building because of the cold weather at simultaneous times — that was a bit of a challenge. But we got it done.”
It takes a village to raise a child, and it also requires one to run a shelter, especially a safe haven needed in a hurry for a community trying to keep its residents warm.
Early last week, in one of the most devastating snow and ice storms to ever envelope Texas, AJ Renold of the American Red Cross in Bryan was growing desperate. All her usually reliable resources for help were in the same big, freezing boat.
“The lack of electricity at our typical sheltering partners, places like churches and schools, was a huge barrier for us opening warming centers,” said Renold, executive director of the Heart of Texas chapter of the Red Cross. “When it became a more and more urgent situation, we got word that A&M was willing to open its doors to us. They said, ‘You can have Reed Arena.’”
The next six words warmed Renold’s heart and hands, with one of A&M’s senior vice presidents, Amy Smith, playing a big role in organizing the collaborative effort.
“A&M told us, ‘Let us know what you need,’” Renold said.
Renold needed volunteers — volunteers who also could benefit from the shelter of a big arena. A&M freshman Burke Bridges of Georgetown showed up about the time the shelter was opening, and told Renold and university officials he was willing to help in any way possible. In the distance, Bridges heard a sound familiar to Reed Arena — but this time one bringing him more comfort than usual.
“When were down in the lower levels and in the loading zone, we could hear basketballs bouncing from the practices going on,” he said.
Over in his Reed Arena office, A&M basketball coach Buzz Williams was approached early in the week about perhaps turning A&M’s basketball home into a shelter. The A&M men haven’t played since Jan. 30 because of COVID-19 issues within the program.
“They asked me my thoughts and it was kind of a COVID (related) question, because they were bringing people into a space where we were going to potentially practice or play,” Williams said. “But I thought for sure it was the right thing to do. It was, how can we help as many people as possible? … (The weather) was impacting all of us. Our players didn’t have electricity, and most of our staff didn’t have electricity. It was for sure the right thing.”
A&M was prepared to open the entire arena floor to community members, but needed only two large meeting rooms on separate floors to house individuals and families. In all, about 100 area residents took advantage of the warmth and water and food and restrooms and electricity, and the shelter was extended by a day until Friday afternoon, when it finally started warming up across the state.
“We had plenty of volunteers, and the volunteers also needed the warmth,” Renold said of people pitching in to help where they could. “A&M was amazing to provide Reed Arena.”
Renold said the university’s Corps of Cadets also sent about 30 members over to help however possible, and she’d point her finger at a sizable task and they’d quickly get to work. Two Herculean jobs, for instance, included sorting and organizing pallets of supplies, and breaking up the ice on a flatbed trailer to haul food and water.
“I would give them a task,” Renold said in admiration, “they’d get organized and figure it out.”
A&M athletic director Ross Bjork was proud of what filled their place with ice surrounding the venue — during a crippling pandemic that almost a year ago halted college sports in the winter and spring.
“The last 49 weeks have presented challenges that were unimaginable in prior years,” Bjork said. “With the recent weather challenges, we used that same approach. And safety will always come first.”
brent.zwerneman@chron.com
Twitter:@brentzwerneman
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