A crowd gathered around a wildfire destruction map at the Bastrop Convention Center on Wednesday afternoon. Photo by Reshma Kirpalani for Reporting Texas and KUT News.

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By Reshma Kirpalani
For Reporting Texas and KUT News

In addition to The Red Cross and United Way of Central Texas, faith-based organizations have mobilized volunteer grief counselors to help the victims of the wildfires in Bastrop County cope with their loss.

Margery Marshall, a grief counselor with the Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, volunteered at the Bastrop Convention Center on Wednesday. As local Bastrop residents peered at lists of homes destroyed in the fire, Marshall offered logistical resources and a chance to be heard. Many of the victims expressed sadness and frustration, she said, and her listening helped.

“They know they have someone who they can talk to,” she said, “listen to their story and listen to what they might and then they communicate what they need.”

Vicki Hansen, the executive director of the Texas Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said that faith-based organizations are often the first responders to national disasters. Their combination of resources and compassionate listening often allows victims to take the first step in healing, she added.

“Just being able to say, ‘This is what’s happened,’ and then being able to give them very concrete, one foot in front of the other steps, is the first step that has to be taken,” Hansen said.

Volunteers counselors are being asked to report the Bastrop Convention Center to receive instructions for help. As lists of more homes in Bastrop County that have been destroyed in the fire continue to be distributed, organizers anticipate needing help to assist victims with their emotional needs for a number of days to come.