Katrina Volunteer Invents Portable Showers For Disasters

Posted: Sep 27, 2008 07:17 PM
Updated: Sep 27, 2008 09:12 PM

By Toni Miles

SAN LEON, TX (WLOX) - Mosquitos, muck and sludge are just some of the things hurricanes and other disasters leave behind. Thousands of homeowners and first responders in San Leon, Texas, are working in these conditions. Now, they can find relief at the end of the day, thanks to the mobile shower invention by Bill Taylor.

"The emergency mobile shower here was designed after Katrina because people in Pascagoula, during my mission trip work there, particularly Phillip Thomas, an EMT, a fellow over in Pascagoula, said there was a shortage of shower trucks and shower trailers," Taylor said.

It took a year and a half to complete the truck, and the Texas trip was its maiden voyage.

"I rolled into Texas the day after the storm, and we have been busy ever since, moving around to different areas where they really need us," Taylor said.

Taylor says at least a hundred people a day have been using the showers. It's geared toward first responders and disaster victims.

"I have been told, people who are almost in tears, people who are getting a shower, it was probably the most important thing that they've had besides getting food and water. People need to be clean, and I've had people come in here within ten days of not having a shower," Taylor said.

Taylor believes it's a worthwhile cause in disaster recovery.

"When they walk out the doors, particularly the disaster victims, the before and after, they walk in as you might suspect, much like a street urchin looking awful, and they come out with their hair clean, their body clean, and a great big smile on their face. It's very gratifying to see all that," Taylor said.

The truck has made stops in Orange and San Leon, Texas as well as other communities in Southwest Texas.

Local man travels to help victims of Ike in special way
9/17/2008
By APRIL BAILEY, Staff writer

When he learned that Hurricane Ike was on a path to cause significant damage to Texas, Aiken resident Bill Taylor set out to help; but in a different way than most would expect.

Last Friday, Taylor embarked on a two-day drive to Texas in his Emergency Response Shower Unit; a truck, equipped with five shower stalls. Bill and his wife Donna purchased the truck to aid with emergencies and natural disaster relief. He said the purpose of the mobile shower unit is to offer first responders and victims of disasters a way to clean up in the aftermaths of storms. "We've found from people that we've talked to that one of the great needs for relief efforts are shower units," said Bill.

The couple decided to create the truck after a church mission trip to the Gulf Coast to help with relief after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. "It's our community service project," said Bill.

The truck has electricity and includes two hot water heaters, among other features. Bill said the mobile shower unit took about a year to design and construct. Showers are offered free to those who need them.

Once he arrived in Texas on Sunday, Bill said he got off of the first exit on the Interstate, which was a small town called Orange, located 22 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. When he arrived, Bill said nearly the entire county was under water and without electricity. "The devastation here is unimaginable," he said. "It will literally be years before this community rebuilds." Though Ike was a Category 2 storm, the destruction left behind was much worse. Bill parked his truck in one of the few dry areas in town-the parking lot of a grocery store.

There, he met up with members of the Texas National Guard and found that his presence was more than welcome. The soldiers, who had been performing rescue missions on residents trapped by the storm, said they had not showered in four days. Bill said about 40 soldiers took showers in the truck Sunday night. "You're just kind of plunged into place where you're needed," Bill said of his role in Orange. Along with showers, he also allows residents and rescue workers to use the electricity in his truck to charge their cell phones.

The National Guardsmen Bill aided in Orange relocated to Galveston, one of the hardest-hit areas in the state, Tuesday afternoon, and Bill went along with them. "They said they won't go without me," he said jokingly. Bill said he doesn't know how long he will be in Texas helping with the relief effort, though he said it may take weeks. "I'm going to be here until I'm not needed," he said.