FORT HOOD, Texas – Fort Hood aided local communities recovering from a massive winter freeze with temporary, emergency water distribution, and power generation equipment.

As Central Texas cities struggled with low water levels and boil notices, civic leaders requested specific support from Fort Hood town. The drinking water and generators, provide much-needed relief to residents impacted by utility outages blanketing the region.

“We’re all in this together, most of the Soldiers and civilians who work at Fort Hood live off-post in Central Texas,” said Col. Myles B. Caggins III, III Corps and Fort Hood senior spokesman. “The commanding general swiftly approved this support to civil authorities after legal reviews were complete. Within hours of the support requests, our Soldiers were rolling to local cities with the 400 gallon ‘Water Buffalo’ trailers.”

Commonly referred to as “water buffalos,” Central Texas communities receiving the portable water storage units included in this effort are Belton, Bell County, Copperas Cove, Harker Heights, Killeen, and Temple. The water storage units can store about 400 gallons of fresh water each, and communities will be able to use them until the state of Texas can assume the daunting task of providing water to affected areas.

On Monday, February 15, Fort Hood provided two generators to the city of Granger, Texas, after their request to help power their water plant.

Fort Hood and the III Armored Corps stand ready to support the community and are proud to provide help when asked. All of the requests from the surrounding communities are vetted thoroughly through legal channels to ensure all necessary regulations are followed when providing resources to the community.