"Guns and Hoses" benefit set for Nov. 15-16

Mary Meaux
The Port Arthur News

November 13, 2008 08:05 pm

— When Josh Abshier wants to work on his Hurricane Ike damaged home he must first go out and buy the tools.
Even the “you-always-have-these-hanging-around-the-house type of tools.”
Blame it on Ike.
Abshier’s Bridge City home, located about a mile from the waterway, was soaked in four-plus feet of water that destroyed everything in sight.
A night patrol officer with the Port Arthur Police Department, Abshier even lost his service motorcycle and his personal motorcycle which were stored in a trailer in his garage prior to the storm. Now the family is down to one vehicle, he said.
Abshier is one of 18 PAPD employees and one of numerous fire and law enforcement employees in Jefferson County who were affected by Ike. While residents fled the area for safety, first responders like Abshier stayed behind. Upon returning they went back to work in 12 to 16 hour shifts and could not work on their own homes.
Abshier has used vacation time to pull out soggy drywall, rip up floors and toss out most of his family’s belongings.
The officer did not have flood insurance, he said, but FEMA gave the maximum allowance for the damage. Even with the FEMA money Abshier still faces many hurdles. He’s doing as much of the repairs as he can, has no appliances and lost almost everything he owns.
Buck Maraist, owner of Dylan’s Bar and Grill, saw the plight of the Ike affected and decided to form a benefit to help fire and law enforcement of the county, called Guns and Hoses.
Lt. Jon Carona of PAPD, who is also owner of Advantage Real Estate and one of the event sponsors, said the event is a way to bring all law and fire personnel in the county together for a common cause and hopefully bring in donations for those affected.
“These are officers and firefighters who had to stay behind and instead of going back to their homes and making repairs they stayed several weeks if not a month helping the community,” he said.
The Guns and Hoses Benefit will be held Nov. 15 and 16 and Dylan’s Bar and Grill, 8601 Ninth Ave. Proceeds will go to first responders who are in need of the public’s help.
“I’ve seen so much kindness showed on Bridge City,” Abshier said from inside his gutted home. “This benefit is great but it gets to me. I hate to be one of the ones the benefit is being held for. I’d rather be out there helping.”
The event is action packed beginning with a flag football game where Port Arthur’s cops and firefighters join forces against Beaumont police. The game is set for 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 15 at Lucian Adams Park on 60th Street.
The fun continues with live music, a barbecue cook-off, horseshoe and washer tournaments, classic car show and more.
T-shirts are available with the Guns and Hoses logo at a cost of $20 each and can be picked up at Advantage Real Estate, 8787 Ninth Ave. Make checks payable to The 100 Club of Jefferson County.
mmeaux@panews.com

Copyright © 1999-2008 cnhi, inc.